Talking about education or teaching, of course you also have to understand the material and curriculum used in learning; included also in the teachings of the Bible held by the Jews. Teaching Jewish children starting from an early age who received direct education by their parents at home, about manners, and faith in God, along with Israeli religious rituals.
5 years old; children began to be given basic lessons in reading the Torah. At this age children begin to read and write, especially reading and memorizing the Torah.
10 years old; begin with mitswa (teaching); at this level children have been taught the meaning and significance of the Torah law, no longer just memorizing, but already knowing its meaning.
Age 12-13 years; live as bar-mitswa, (carry out Jewish regulations or laws. They are considered qualified in terms of Torah law and carry it out, so that children at this stage are also called Shari’a children or Torah children (The son of law).
There is evidence that this Torah memorization lesson is the basis of the faith of Jewish children, in the end, Jewish children really know their identity, their beliefs and are very militant in their faith in Allah (Yahweh). What about today’s believers? Are parents and religious teachers both in public schools and in the Church teaching children the importance of memorizing God’s word?
Jewish Torah education can be carried out well because there is a community (congregation) that has firm faith. This education is carried out in the Synagogue, as a place for gathering, studying religion and worship, because they want to teach children so that one day they will become adults in all aspects of life and become part of the people in the Synagogue. It is very important for us to bring children to the house of God (the Church now) so that children grow up in all aspects of
life including their faith so that they will become part of and continue the community of believers in the church.
In fact, between parents at home, teachers in public schools and teachers of the Children’s Church (Children’s Church) in the Church, can sit together in a teaching community that goes hand in hand in the success of teaching children, as the next generation. There are four main lessons in the Synagogue, that is:
Syema Yisrael means: “Hear, O Israel,” which is a creed or confession of faith and thanksgiving that is read every morning and evening in worship in the synagogue.
“4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).”
Hear, O Israel; is the part that is referred to as Shema or Shema (Hebrew: Shama = hear). This passage was well known to the Jews at the time of Jesus because it was recited daily by devout Jews and regularly at synagogue services. This Shema is the best statement of God’s monotheistic nature; this statement is followed by a double command to the Israelites; To love God with all their heart, soul and strength, and to teach their faith diligently to their children.
Symone Esre is a prayer consisting of 18 chants, which are recited daily; morning, evening and night in worship in the Synagogue. This prayer contains thanksgiving and praise to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as prayers for the restoration of Jerusalem and the Throne of David. Until now it has been an important part of prayer for the Jews.
Tehillah is reading the Torah by singing or chanting; like Muslims read the Koran (tahlil). The reading of the Torah occupies an important position, because the Torah is a central part of the Scriptures for Jews. The faith and life of the Jewish people is entirely based on the Torah. Teaching by reading and explaining in worship in the Synagogue, and this is the oldest tradition in the life of the Jews.
Jewish children were taught to observe festivals and other holiday observances; there are several important holidays that have always been part of the celebration of Jewish life, namely: Sabbath (Exodus 23; Deuteronomy 5:2); Seven Weeks Feast (Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10); Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 23:15; 34:18; Matt.26:17); Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:34; Deutronomy 16:13; John 7:2); Feast of Pentecost (Acts .2:1; 20:16; 1 Corinthians 16:8); The Solemnity of the Dedication of the temple of God/ Hanukah (John 10:22); Feast of Gathering (Exodus 23:16; 34:22); Day of Atonement / Yom Kippur (Leviticus 23:26; 35:9) ; Purim (Book of Esther) ; Feast of Passover (Exodus 12:11; Leviticus 23:5; Matt.26:2).
In the ancient Israelite tradition, we can see how the Israelites were ordered and divided by David (1 Chronicles 25) under their father the children of Israel were educated and trained to carry out ministry duties in the Temple of God. There are indications that Israelite children were educated by their fathers in their own homes.
In Israel everything must help each other and work together to educate children and adults to become members of that religious community, who are aware of their vocation and with all their hearts want to serve God in all their life movements. For this reason, festivals are also used to commemorate the Israelites of the great events that their forefathers experienced in ancient times, for example the celebration of the Passover feast. In connection with these feast days, fathers tell their children about all of God’s guidance and blessings in the past, so that it becomes a lesson and comfort for all of them today.
Teaching or guidance in the teaching house (beth-ha-midrasy) is closely related to the Jewish synagogue. Here the children sat at the feet of the Torah teachers and received instruction. In reality, not all Jewish children have the opportunity or are able to follow the beth-ha-midrash level; most of the Jewish children can only follow the teachings in the reading of the Torah in the house of worship (Synagogue) once a week on the Sabbath.
It is not known exactly when the first Synagogue schools were founded; There is an opinion that since the time of exile in Babylon, when Israelites or Jews could not come to the Temple, they gathered and prayed in the Synagogue. Whenever this school started, it has until now been an important part of Jewish education. Moreover, the Synagogue has become an icon of Judaism.
During the exile in Babylon, the Jews became more and more aware of their message and calling. Their speakers devoted a lot of attention to the holy books of their people. Synagogues and religious schools were built, where he taught the Jewish congregation all the religious traditions that their ancestors had handed down for centuries. And upon the return of the Jews to their homeland, the reading of the Torah began to play a very important role at the center of their religious life. Divine knowledge is increasingly prioritized; many Jewish scholars have thoroughly researched and interpreted the scriptures. These famous rabbinical schools and schools began to emerge, grow and reign supreme.
In the classroom there is a small, high platform where the teacher (rabbi) sits cross-legged. In front of the teacher is a short shelf with scrolls containing selected passages from the Old Testament. There are no textbooks; the students sat on the floor at the feet of the teacher. Classes are not segregated by age; all students study together in the same room.
In classroom practice, the teacher would transcribe a verse for younger students to read aloud until they had mastered the verse; meanwhile the teacher helps the older children to read a passage from Leviticus. For us, the classroom situation and the noise will be disturbing, but not for them.
It takes high concentration and clear focus on each child’s learning tasks to be able to absorb learning in this frenzied atmosphere of togetherness; instead this will be togetherness that helps each other, for example there is someone who reads and recites the Torah incorrectly, then the other or bigger students will help correct it; and the togetherness of this community actually strengthens the sense of togetherness and loyalty as one nation, one religion and belief.
At the Junior High School level, we adopted the Jewish Biblical education system, all the processes that have been passed by students up to Elementary will also be repeated at this level. Only at this level, students are not just memorizing, but they are starting to be asked to interpret Bible verses.
In seventh grade (7), students will get Bible lessons by focusing on Israel’s journey from Egypt to Mount Zion, this is taught every day with a purpose, students begin to understand the direction of their life vision. Proverbs 29:18, “Without vision {continuing vision} people perish” (NKJV).
Junior High School students will really be prepared from an early age so that they have a vision of eternity, fear God and walk in the holiness of life and train and prepare them to build a personal vision, so they start dreaming big by giving them basic leadership training, training students to become “fighters” in the future, build a road map so students understand what will happen, and are ready to become “the mighty man of God,” learn from history makers contained in the Bible, so students will be ready to compete in the future with intelligence through a series of training.
Junior High students are trained to memorize and pronounce Psalm 119:1-176, because this Psalm is a Psalm written by the Prophet Ezra the People of the Book and is one of the chapters that all Jewish students must memorize in their schools.
The main theme of this longest Psalm is the Word of God. This chapter of the Psalms is written in acrostic alphabetic style, in the original language, Hebrew, each eight verses in the twenty-two stanzas that begin with the same letter of the alphabet.
This Psalm is arranged in twenty-two stanzas, according to the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Each stanza is made up of eight verses, where each verse consists of only two parts, each of which begins with the same letter in the alphabet.
By reciting this Psalm, students are being trained to love God’s Word in their lives, so that when they reach grade 7 or 8 (age 13), they are expected to make a personal decision to repent, accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and go personally to Baptism.
“We Want All Of Our Students To Be Alike Jesus Christ Until Living In Eternity At Spiritual Mount Zion”
