October 4, 2021
At Mirowitz, our students appreciate the opportunity to sink into a beanbag chair and enjoy a captivating read-aloud. Little do they know that the read-aloud is not the creation of Audible or modern literacy educators, but of our ancestor, Ezra, who is credited with starting the first read-aloud, the public reading of Torah.
Each Thursday, our students gather, like the ancient Israelites, for a Torah read-aloud and discussion led by our students. Just as it was for our ancestors, this reading is our opportunity to gather around and learn about the stories and the values that define us.
This past Monday, our youngest students had an up close and personal look at the Torah with Reb Scott. We unrolled the Torah on tables that were lined up in the connector. I wish you could have witnessed their excitement as they spied the first letters of their own names and learned about the painstaking work that goes into writing a Torah.
Along with Jews around the world, we end and immediately begin our perpetual cycle of reading the Torah on Simchat Torah. It is a symbol of our people’s ongoing commitment to Jewish learning…a commitment that you demonstrate by sending your children to Jewish day school.
We invite you to participate in our weekly Torah read-aloud on Thursdays from 8:45-9:15 a.m. on Zoom or in front of school. Prepare to be amazed not only by the skilled chanting of the words, but by the insightful student-led discussion applying those words to the way we live our lives.
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,
Morah Cheryl