NAVI
Middle School
6th Grade: The sixth grade will spend the year learning Shmuel Aleph. They will study the emergence of Shmuel as a prophet of Israel and trace his impact as he tries to convince B’nei Yisroel to repent, guide them in their wars, and judge the nation. They will examine the nation’s request for a king and see how that leads to the ascent and descent of Shaul and the rivalry between Shaul and Dovid. They will discuss and discover the relevance to the personality of Am Yisrael in present times. Emphasis will be placed on reading and translating the nach, developing themes, and understanding the life lessons from Shmuel Aleph.
7th Grade: The Navi curriculum in seventh grade is focused on Shmuel Bes. The seventh graders will gain an appreciation of the contributions that Dovid made by establishing the kingship of the House of Dovid and securing the borders of Israel. They will study his spiritual endeavors as he accompanies the aron (ark) to Jerusalem and attempts to build the Beit HaMikdash. They will learn from his strengths and his weaknesses and will understand why Dovid is the prototype of a true servant of Hashem, as well as the compiler of Sefer Tehillim. The focus will be on reading the text and developing themes with the enhancement of selected commentaries such as Rashi, Metzudos, and Malbim.
8th Grade: In eighth grade Navi, the class studies Melachim Aleph, examining the reign of Shlomo Hamelech and the splendor of his kingdom. They are also doing an in-depth study of the Beis Hamikdash, exploring its many varied and different chambers. Afterward, they will understand how and why the kingdom was split and the influence of Yeravam Ben Nevat. The objective is to trace the parallel lines of the Kings, of the House of Dovid, and the House of Israel. They will be concentrating on reading and understanding Rashi and Radak and also note the commentary of the Abarbanel. They will learn how the issues confronting the am Yisrael are relevant today.
High School
9th Grade: The students are delving deeper into the early years of Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael during the reign of the kings, as described in Melachim Beis. The students understand the strengths and weaknesses of our leaders and the task of the prophets during difficult times. Student learning is facilitated through both frontal presentation as well as chavrusa and independent study. They will delve into the impact of motivations and understand the confounding downward spiral of the nation, culminating in the Churban Beis HaMikdash and the ensuing spiritual change in our lives. Our eternal search to maintain a close relationship with Hashem faces the challenge of no longer having a Beis Hamikdash.
10th Grade: The goal is to introduce the students to the prophets of Trei Asar and to gain the capacity to read and translate Tanach with the primary commentaries. In the first semester, the students will learn Sefer Yonah, Hoshaya, and Zecharya. In the second semester, they will focus on Neviim Amos. Students learn how to ask poignant questions and attain a familiarity with the events and significance of the Trei Asar. Time will be spent analyzing the text and learning how to deconstruct a verse. We will also be developing the ability to cross-reference what we encounter in Tanach and compare/contrast them both on a textual and conceptual level.
11th and 12th Grade (5 Megillos)
In the first semester, the students will study the important and intricate life lessons taught by Shlomo Hamelech in Koheles. They will also study the historical significance of Megillas Esther. In the second semester, the class will focus on the beautiful relationship between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael, as described in Shir Hashirim. The students end the year with an account of the birth of the Davidic Dynasty in Rus and the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash as they study Eichah.