PARSHA

10 ways to learn about the Torah portion of the week.

Click on the targets below to get started.

Find this week’s פרשה in a חומש or תנך.

Read (or chant) this week's selection from the parsha in Hebrew with proficiency.

Read and answer at least one question on the Debate Midrash Blog.

Post at least three (3) responses to student comments on the Debate Midrash Blog.

Find repeating words (מילה מנחה) using a word cloud.

Create a movie poster highlighting key characters/elements and major themes of the פרשה.

Retell the story (or one section) of the פרשה as a short story.

Give an interview as the main character in the פרשה.

Write your own דבר תורה on part of the parsha.

Create a modern מדרש about a selection from the פרשה.

Parsha 1

DISCOVER

Find this week’s פרשה in a חומש or תנך.

Make sure you:

Correctly identify the proper book, chapter and verses for the weekly פרשה (the whole פרשה not just the selection on the blog.)
Type the name of the book, chapter and verses in Hebrew
Correctly identify the name of the Tanakh or Chumash you used along with page numbers.

Goal: This target will enable you practice navigating a חומש and/or תנך and look up citations by chapter and verse.

Parsha 2

DISCOVER

Read (or chant) a selection from this week's parsha in Hebrew with proficiency.

Reading (or chanting) with proficiency means doing so with 5 or fewer mistakes. You can listen to any aliyah from the parsha to check for accuracy here. Just choose the book, parsha and aliyah from the drop down menus.

Goal: This target will enable you to practice your Hebrew reading fluency in תנך texts.

Parsha 3

DISCOVER

Read and answer at least one question on the Debate Midrash Blog.

Your comment should:

Identify the commentator you are teaching about
Identify the selection of text your teaching is about
Clearly explain the question the teaching addresses
Clearly explain the resolution the teaching offers
Comment on your opinion of the teaching according to the Guide Question or its own relevance in your life

Goal: This target will enable you to restate and wrestle with a traditional commentator's teaching on פרשת השבוע.

Parsha 4

DISCOVER

Post at least three (3) responses to student comments on the Debate Midrash Blog.

Your responses should:

Be written in full sentences with proper punctuation and grammar.
Respond to another student’s comment or a teacher’s questions inserted in the blog.

Goal: This target will enable you to critically evaluate the teachings of commentators through dialogue with your peers.

Parsha 5

DISCOVER

Find repeating words (מילה מנחה) using a word cloud.

Create a word cloud of this week's focus text. You can easily copy the English text from www.sefaria.org. Just click on the link in the middle for Parshat Hashavua and choose the correct text. (After you paste your text into the word cloud program you may want to take out some of the less important words that do not help us understand the big ideas of the text. Some examples of these words are: "shall," "said."

Your word cloud should:

Include the correct verses from the parsha
Identify key words
Explain what you think these key words tell us about the text as a whole

Goal: This target will enable you to identify keywords in a selection of text and understand how repeating words help in understanding textual themes.

Parsha 6

DISCOVER

Create a movie poster highlighting key characters/elements and major themes of the פרשה.

Start by watching this week’s פרשה video from www.bimbam.com. Then create a movie poster (using a tool like Google Drawings) to:

Illustrate the key characters/element of the פרשה
Advertise the theme of the פרשה in a way that wants people to come see this “movie”

Goal: This target will enable you to show your knowledge of the key characters/elements and major themes of the פרשה.

Parsha 7

PLAY

Retell the story (or one section) of the פרשה as a short story.

Using characters and/or elements from the פרשה retell the פרשה (or a part of it) as a short story. Your short story can be written or recorded using Vocaroo or a similar tool. Your story should:

(If written) Use proper grammar, spelling and punctuation
(If spoken) Be clearly recorded
Follow appropriate short story structure (click here to learn more about short story structure)
Through either symbols or metaphors, clearly reference this week’s פרשה. (The plot and characters are up to you)

Goal: This target will enable you to synthesize a selection of Biblical text and restate it in your own words.

Parsha 8

PLAY

Give an interview as the main character in the פרשה.

Pretend you are one of the characters in the פרשה and you are being interviewed for a news story. Tell us the story of the פרשה, what it is like being a character in this פרשה, and what it is like living in Biblical times.

Your interview should:

Clearly express who you "are" from the פרשה
Address what you are "doing" in this week's פרשה
Discuss how you feel about your role and/or actions in the פרשה

Goal: This target will enable you to synthesize the story of the פרשה, analyze a character from the פרשה and express empathy for his/her role in the story.

Parsha 9

CREATE

Write your own דבר תורה on part of the parsha.

Your דבר תורה can be written or recorded using Vocaroo or a similar tool. You can learn about crafting a דבר תורה here.

Your דבר תורה should:

Clearly articulate the content of the selection about which you are teaching
Offer a thoughtful insight on your chosen selection
Reference at least one other commentator’s teaching
Show its relevance for today

Goal: This target will enable you to synthesize information from the פרשה, analyze classical commentaries and incorporate your own insights.

Parsha 10

CREATE

Create a modern מדרש about a selection from the פרשה.

You can learn about creating a מדרש here.

Your מדרש should:

Address a question or problem in the text
Through context or explicit citations, clearly reference this week's פרשה

Goal: This target will enable you to read a piece of תנך text critically, looking for questions and opportunities for interpretation.