Motivation in Jewish Education

Zalman Eisenstock

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL 

One of the challenges in Jewish education, especially with students who have learning disabilities, is how to properly motivate the individual learner in order to keep his/her interest alive and continuous.  Many times I have seen students make the effort only to stop short of goals and accomplishments.  And if the goals are not being kept, there is also the danger of losing their interest in learning altogether.  Therefore, I felt I had to come with a plan of action that would keep my students interested and goal oriented.  The following are a few of the success stories I have had with a post high school program in Jerusalem.

In the yeshiva world, the learning of Talmud is considered a major part of the curriculum.  Nonetheless, it is a very complicated area that involves a new language (Aramaic), a new logic, and a time framework unknown to most learners.  Within the category of Talmud and the oral law is another basic component called the Mishnah whose language is predominantly Hebrew and much briefer in style than the Talmud.  Therefore, I decided that I would concentrate on that as a way to reach out to my weaker students who were coming to the yeshiva without a background in Talmud studies.  Nonetheless, I still had to work out a plan of how to help them be motivated and feel a sense of accomplishment.

My first challenge was to find interesting and relevant material that would help my students be motivated and goal oriented.  The two ideas I had in mind were Masechet Brachot dealing with everyday laws, tfillot, etc. and Masechet Megillah dealing with the laws of Purim and the reading of Megillah.

One of my students, Jacob, was born deaf, and had no hearing abilities at all until the age of two and a half when he received a cochlear implant.  He had had private tutors in Judaic studies, but otherwise went to private schools.  I suggested that he learn Mishnah (aside from our regular learning) with a private tutor several times a week, and that whenever possible I would also help him with any issues or problems.  In general, I have found that the one on one learning is very helpful, and that it also enables the creation of a relationship with the teacher or tutor.

After a few months Jacob had made significant progress, and was getting close to finishing Masechet Megillah.  Together with the director we decided to set a date for the "mini siyyum" (the finishing of a tractate) and Jacob asked if he could invite a few friends and relatives as well.  It was also important to have the involvement of the Rosh Yeshiva and other teachers to share Jacob's achievements.

When the day finally arrived I happened to notice that there were a lot of people waiting for the big event, and as it turned out there were all part of Jacob's family.

Jacob finished the Masechet, and gave his d'var Torah, and my first reaction was just to give him a hug to thank him for all his hard work and learning.  That day meant more to me than many days of teaching because it showed me how much can be accomplished by my students with the right approach and motivation.

A second student, David, also was very interested in the Mishnah project idea, but had a lot of problems with attendance at regular lessons, and after half the year was over I did not have a lot of hope for success.  Nonetheless, I try never to give up.  David was interested in learning Brachot, and came to me before the Sukkot break with the following question:  How do I make it work?

My suggestion was twofold:

1. I learn with him in the morning, and an older student in the evening; and
2. that he purchase an English Mishnah to help him with the Hebrew and reviewing

Then I suggested making a chart based on the number of mishnayot in the masechet, and the number of days left till he was supposed to finish the program (coming from South Africa his year was to end in January).  He figured out that he would have to learn approximately 2 mishnayot a day, and would still have time to spare.

The motivation I found was refreshing and suprising - unlike the first half of the year David was coming every day and almost never missed!

My director suggested that the forum for the siyyum be at the big Chanukah party.  I was a little concerned because David had a stammer, and I didn't know if he would feel comfortable speaking to a big audience.  Surprisingly, David never hesitated at all.  I worked with him on his speech for a few days, and then the time came for the siyyum.

I introduced David, and spoke about my original concerns when he arrived in the yeshiva as the only one from his program in South Africa. But I also mentioned how proud I was of all that he had done despite the odds.

David followed with a beautiful speech.  It was to be another highlight not only for him, but for all the students in the program I was teaching, and to make others aware that Torah is accessible to all.  Patience and motivation were the keys that led to these success stories, and that would hopefully lead to more