Learning from the game of dominoes!

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​There are at least two ways to play the game of dominoes. The first is the version my Granny played – tiles laid out on a table, with two to four players taking turns matching dots on one tile to dots on another tile. Everyone understood and played by the rules. The second is the way my brother played – working alone or with a friend to line upright tiles in an intricate pattern, then watching in awe after the first tile was lightly tapped. As each tile fell, it hit another and the energy moved throughout the system, sometimes moving in a straight line and sometimes branching off to create multiple moving paths ...

For decades, we have been playing my Granny’s version of dominoes when it comes to Hebrew learning in synagogue settings. Long-held assumptions influence the rules for teaching Hebrew and everyone (well almost everyone) plays by the rules … [But,] for over a dozen years, Jewish educators across the country have moved from a decoding-focused learning model to one that is multi-faceted and embedded in a Hebrew rich environment.  They tell us that their learners feel competent understanding Hebrew language in controlled settings, appear to enjoy using Hebrew in prayer, and have expressed a sense of belonging to people and places beyond themselves when Hebrew is taught dynamically, as my brother’s version of dominoes. So, todah (thank you) to my brother and others who love playing dynamically with dominoes. It’s my hope that those of us faced by the conundrum of Hebrew in our synagogue settings will embrace the metaphor and its power.
Nachama Skolnik Moskowitz,
#OnwardHebrew

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