Abstract
Is it possible to study parshat hashavua—the weekly Torah portion—with young children? In this paper, the
author provides an in-depth, detailed exploration of “Torah Talk”, a teaching method she has pioneered with
kindergartners and first graders involving a consistent, predictable structure and approach. The Torah Talk
method has four key components: (1) Telling/ retelling one or more aspects of the weekly parasha (2) Acting out
those passages (3) The specific component also called “Torah Talk” (sharing comments and questions), and
(4) writing and/or drawing in Torah Journals. The author demonstrates how this method creates a culture of
shared learning and a community of learners even among the youngest students. She argues that, given the right
structures, young children can learn parshat hashavua in a way that is developmentally appropriate yet still takes
the text—and the children—seriously, helps them develop general literacy skills and Jewish literacy, and engages
them in the age-old Jewish enterprise of engaged textual interpretation.