Yehuda ben Teima used to say: “At five years of age, Scripture; at ten, Mishna; at thirteen, mitzvos; at fifteen, Talmud…” Pirkei Avos 5:21
The above Mishna delineates a clear sequence of textual study, broken into three developmental stages:
- Concrete Stage – At this stage, the child can think and reason about concrete objects, but still struggles with abstract ideas. Therefore, a young child begins his or her education studying the Tanakh for several years.
- Abstract Stage – At this stage, the child continues to study Tanakh but also begins to conceptualize and reason about abstract ideas and thus studies it at a deeper level. It is also at this point that he or she is ready to begin learning Mishna.
- Analytical Stage – At this stage, the child continues with his or her studies in Tanakh and Mishna but is also ready to apply his or her abstract thinking skills with the learning of Gemara.
For each stage, we’ve listed several curriculum options. Choose the ones that work best for your family.
Tanakh
| Note: Begin at the level that is most comfortable for your child. As your child progresses, he or she will be able to move on to the next level of Hebrew. No Hebrew Required: The Little Midrash Says series (review) The Family Midrash Says series (review) Select a Beginning Hebrew Curriculum Minimal Hebrew: Bright Beginnings Chumash Workbook Part 1 and Part 2 Breakthrough Chinuch‘s Lashon Hatorah system Lehavin U’lehaskil Torah4Children Key to Torah P’tach Chumash and Hebrew materials (especially The Dikduk Difference) Lshon Hatorah Basic Biblical Hebrew skills: Tools For Torah Chumash workbooks (review) Torah Skills Chumash with Rashi workbooks Intermediate Biblical Hebrew skills: Navi curriculum from Migdalor Advanced Biblical Hebrew: Original Texts and Classic Commentaries |
Mishna
| Bonayich Elementary Mishna Curriculum by Rabbi Dr. Pinchas Hayman Mishnayos Workbook Series by Rabbi Benzion Weissberger Tallis Ends and Other Tales by Rabbi Dov Channen The Illustrated Mishnayoth Shabbath from Feldheim by Rabbi Daniel Haberman The Annotated and Illustrated Mishnah from Koren (Hebrew only) Mishnayot Meirot by Avraham Cheshin (Hebrew only) Mishna Run Video Series Visual Mishnayos Video Series |
Gemara
| Beginners: Bright Beginnings’ Hachana L’Gemara Children’s Gemara Bonayich Gemara for Beginners Curriculum by Rabbi Dr. Pinchas Hayman Rabbi Nosson Lomner’s Gemara Series (Aramaic with English linear translation), available from Torah Umesorah Catalog Study Aids for Advanced Students The Practical Talmud Dictionary by Rabbi Yitzhak Frank Aramaic-Hebrew-English Dictionary by Ezra Zion Melamed Aiding Talmud Study by Aryeh Carmell Understanding the Talmud by Rabbi Yitzchak Feigenbaum Charting the Sea of Talmud by Dr. Yisrael Ury Reference Guide for the Talmud by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz Gemara Steps and Structure by Rabbi Yechezkel Norman Jastrow Dictionary |
Additional materials for all levels are available at chinuch.org and the Torah Umesorah Catalog.