Torah Reading Milestones for Schechter 4th and 5th Graders
As Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell sang, “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing.” What was most remarkable about last Monday’s Gesher Tefillah/Torah Program wasn’t the great tunes, inspiring praying, or skilled Torah reading. It wasn’t the poise and proficiency of our fourth and fifth grade students as they led. What made the program so powerful was its authenticity; it was a demonstration of actual mastered skills. It was the real thing!
The shaharit service was led by our fourth graders; parents and students joined in, and the room was full of song. An observer might have assumed that they’d been rehearsing for weeks like actors rehearse for a play, with special coaching and dedicated practices. In truth, though, they had no formal rehearsals at all! Their Tefillah skills are genuine; they pray every day, learning with Limor Shefer, their Judaic Studies teacher, and the only thing different on Monday morning was that they skipped some prayers they normally recite to moderate the program’s length.
Our fifth graders did practice hard to learn their Torah readings, it’s true, and Rabbi Berger spent hours with them to help them prepare — but all of their time together was spent learning genuine Torah reading skills. At no point did they receive a recording to memorize or sing along with; instead, they learned the building blocks of the Torah’s melodies, and taught themselves their verses. They are poised for a lifetime of reading Torah; they have genuine skills.
We wish mazal tov to the Gesher students and their families for their joyful, inspiring work!
Click HERE to see more photos of our Torah readers and Shaharit leaders!