Our Judaic Studies Program aims to inspire learning, living, and growing in Judaism as a life-long commitment. Below are some details about how we guide our students to put Torah values at the center of their lives so they can be successful and responsible members of contemporary Jewish and American societies at the Lower School Level. 

We focus on middot, or character traits, that model respect, faith, kindness, and other Jewish values. We achieve that through teaching specific components at every grade level. Those components are Kriyah (learning to read textual Hebrew); Jewish laws, holiday and customs; and Chumash (study of Biblical text).  

Davening/Tefilla (Prayer)  The practice of beginning every school day with prayer is ingrained in students from Kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. CTA students begin to learn both the meaning and the mechanics of prayer, beginning in Kindergarten. Morning davening in grades K-5 occurs in each classroom with the Judaics teacher. 6th grade is a transitional year when students begin davening with the Upper School students in the shul with a mechitzah. 

Yediyot Klaliyot (General Jewish Knowledge)  CTA has a systematic approach to teaching the breadth of General Jewish Knowledge. Topics include: Torah personalities, Jewish calendar, Jewish laws, fundamental mitzvot, Beit Hamikdash, structure of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), Jewish holidays, days of creation, 12 tribes, 10 commandments, pitgamim (wise Jewish sayings), etc. 

Kriyah (Hebrew reading) K-6  The foundational skill for all Judaic studies courses and Torah learning in general is the ability to read Hebrew. 

Chumash (Bible) In grades K-1, students are learning the foundational skills and content in order to access formal Chumash instruction in 2nd grade. Grades K-1 focus on beginning to read Hebrew, the main ideas of Jewish belief including the stories of our patriarchs and matriarchs, and the weekly Torah portion. In first grade, students begin recognizing Hebrew prefixes. To support students with weaker textual skills due to learning differences or admission to CTA at a later date, modifications or scaffolding are provided such as fully or partially translated text.

In 2nd-6th grade, beginning in 2nd grade, students study Chumash 4-5 days/week, in the original text in a Hebrew only book. Students work on understanding the content of each parsha, or topics/stories in Biblical text, develop skills to translate text independently, and learn text related root words and vocabulary. Students each receive their own Chumash with Rashi’s commentary in a special ceremony in the middle of 2nd grade (Chag HaChumash) at which time they begin learning out of the Chumash rather than from worksheets. In 3rd grade, students begin to learn Rashi script and related skills such as reading Rashi script, locating Rashi in the Chumash, and understanding Rashi’s question and answer. These skills are developed further in the older grades as well, deepening as students develop critical thinking skills and can understand more nuance. Through the study of Chumash, students learn important Jewish values, mitzvot, and middot to influence their Jewish identity. 

Chagim (Jewish Holidays)  Much of the content for Jewish Holidays is taught through General Jewish knowledge, but all Judaics teachers include lessons and activities throughout the school year as each holiday approaches. One of the goals for every classroom is that students feel excited and interested in the coming holidays.

Navi (Prophets) Students study Sefer Yehoshua, Sefer Shoftim and Sefer Shmuel in the older Lower School grades (4-6). The focus of this unit is for students to understand the main ideas, comprehend the storyline, identify characters and learn meaningful lessons. This subject is taught typically 2-3 times a week. Materials vary from worksheet/packets or books. The Navi curriculum is based on ideas more than skills and each teacher has autonomy to develop her own lessons. Topics include fundamental stories from Jewish history that are written about through each Navi, i.e. Kingship, Prophecy, the Land of Israel, tribes, etc.