Jewish education...
nurturing children's identity and imagination


When most people hear the words "Jewish education," they envision kids sitting at their desks at a Jewish Day School or Hebrew School. That's certainly one piece of the picture -- and for most people (other than homeschoolers), a very important one.

But Jewish education doesn't end with school. Jewish learning takes place every hour of every day, at school, at home, and everywhere else; it's completely portable, because it isn't a thing, but rather a mindset or awareness.

The truth is that even more than in school settings, Jewish education takes place in the home (whether or not a family officially "homeschools"). Home is where it all happens -- it's where theory meets practice. And home is what it's really all about -- it's where the academic comes to life in the ins and outs of daily Jewish life, with all that it encompasses.

The home is a warm incubator for ideas and questions and challenges, a place where children can safely strengthen their sense of who they are and what being Jewish is all about. Then, when children get older, stretch their wings, and emerge from the shelter of their loving family to interact independently with the pleasures and stresses of the world, they will be fortified with a strong spiritual foundation, a solid Jewish identity, and a grounding in Jewish thought and principles that will guide them throughout their lives.

And so Jewish learning is definitely about Hebrew skills and Torah study, but it is also so much more. It's learning how to live a Jewish life, in practice and not in theory. It's asking questions and seeking answers.

And for children especially, Jewish learning must involve not only their minds, but also their hearts and their souls. For a child, all things Jewish must speak to their sense of wonder, their innate spirituality, and the inner world of their imagination. True Jewish education nurtures creativity, confidence, wholeness of self.



The links below will take you to articles about learning and creativity from the pages of Natural Jewish Parenting magazine. Some articles are reprinted in full; others are excerpts. (If an article title is plain text and does not link to another page, then it is currently available only in print copies of NJP. Back issues are available at the NJP Shop. Click here to order back issues. NJP Shop will open in a new window.)

Over time, I will be making more articles available online. New articles will be added here after each new issue is published, and exclusive web-only content will also be added.


Articles are coming soon!