A New Approach to the World’s Oldest Rules

1/25/2017

By: Rabbi Mordechai Soskil, High School Director of Judaic Studies

Rabbi Benyamin Moss’s ninth grade Bible class pioneered the American premiere of an innovative approach to learning about the Ten Commandments — one that makes them relevant and practical to 21st century students. Each year, when his class arrives at the description of Torah’s revelation at Sinai, Rabbi Moss has been faced with a question – how do you take these big ideas and make them feel applicable to your students’ daily lives? How do the prohibitions against adultery and bearing false witness relate to a 14 or 15 year old's practical experiences?

Enter Project Aseret. The Project Aseret curriculum, originally developed in Israel and now in use in South Africa and the UK, teaches the Ten Commandments as ten overarching principles that have application in everyday living. Rabbi Moss’s class is beta-testing this curriculum for American Jewish classrooms and providing feedback for its application in our national culture.

At the end of the unit, the students divided into chavruta (study partner) groups. Each group studied a particular commandment in depth and delivered a classroom lesson using either a project or PowerPoint presentation to illustrate the material. It was a meaningful experience for all the students.

The students did a great job of taking these globalized and theoretical verses and making them practical. One example was the Mitzvah of Lo Tisa – don’t take Hashem’s name in vain. The underlying principle is that everything we do is a reflection of the Creator. How do we understand that practically?

The students drew a parallel between this commandment and this past summer’s US Olympic swimming team member Ryan Lochte’s run-in with the Brazilian police. His decision to lie wasn’t just a reflection on him and USA swimming; it really impacted the impression that people had of the USA in general. They showed a video clip that helped make that point as well.

Another example is their study of Lo Tinaf – don’t commit adultery. The principle is that all relationships are built on trust and loyalty, not just marriages — even friendships and relationships between teammates and classmates have those criteria. How do we protect that? How do we honor it?

All in all it was a very successful unit and a great step forward in making sure that all Beth Tfiloh Judaic classes are engaging and relevant for all our students.

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