Originally published 2/10/08, 3:01 PM, Eastern Daylight Time.
Here is my response to a provocative post from the "Leining Group"
Soap Box time for Better chinuch:
Here is my response to a provocative post from the "Leining Group"
Soap Box time for Better chinuch:
- Why don't teachers of Humash and Tanach simply insist on reading the words with the trope from day one and teach the trope as part of the language of the Tanach?
- I think Sephardim and Teimanim do this already. FWIW, Moslems would never cite a verse from the Qur'an without its cantillation. It's a shame we don't insist on this in our educational systems
- Also, many older editions of Siddurim and Machazorim USED to have verses from Tanach with their trope. Why was this dropped? Espeically as printing became CHEAPER
- Somewhere along the line, excellence in cantillation and diction has been dropped as priority. Why? And what can we do about it?
On Feb 10, 2008 10:43 AM, myappel <myappel@yahoo.com> wrote:
Shalom Leining Group Members,
KT,
I imagine that I am not alone in thinking that the trope is really an intrinsic part of proper k'riah. There have been numerous discussions on this list regarding its role in directing proper word pronunciation, and phrase parsing. What seems to happen though, is that in the emphasis on proper k'riah and understanding, trope is deemed to be extra, and is often not taught until kids are preparing to become b'nai-mitzvah. Having taught the parasha to a number of b'nai-mitzvah, I can say that the introduction of trope at that point portrays it as a new, additional element to learn besides the actual words. I think it would be much easier if trope were taught earlier,
so children could appreciate that it really is an organic part of k'riah. I have a 6 year old son who is able to read, and has just started his study of Chumash. (He had a Chumash receiving party in school just last week.) I am inclined to start working with him on identifying trope, and showing its role in the understanding of the pesukim. Clearly though, I would approach the teaching differently than I would for a bar-mitzvah age child. My current idea is to show how the Etnachta and the Sof Pasuk, are major pauses, how that affects the meaning, and how the meshartim that lead up to these notes fill in the phrasing. This would be done with the pesukim that are being learnt in school. Any comments on this approach? Does anyone have any experience in working with early grade school-age children in teaching trope? If so, are there any other ideas that you might have about how to approach it?
Thanks,
Michael
RRW
2 comments:
1) At Ramaz, we had an old guy (I think he was the shammash of the shul) come in once a week and teach "trup" in 5th-6th grade, while the girls had "sewing". I think I would have learned more from the sewing classes, as I didn't really learn trup until I went at it systematically when starting bar-mitzva training.
2) Leining is, I find, somewhat helpful with basic tanach learning, but it was never incorporated into the actual class learning. Although, sometimes the tunes feel more contrived than helpful; instead, I use the trup to add my own dramatic swooping reading, which makes more sense to me.
Ramaz and Yeshiva d'Flatbush at least have Hebrew and insist that the sudents master the language. Also, if you teach trop, you probaly have to teach grammar (i.e Diqduq.) Do you see any of the more frumie yeshivot take that much of precious time from Gemara to teach narishkeit (Sarcasm!) and do you see any of the less frumie yeshivot spend money on teachers who actually know that they are doing (i.e Hebrew speakers who understand that what failed in Israel, certainly cannot succeed here.) Or do you see them teach "Hazanut" (Sarcasm again!)
Once Hebrew is not important (quote: "we cannot really teach it because the students do not understand it" which actually mean: "we cannot or do not want to spend the money on really good teachers") then it is not important all the way.
Again, Ramaz hires top quality teachers in limudei qodesh and gets the results. Others simply do not!
ZA
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