5th Grade Judaics Blog

Dear Families,

Last week we finished our unit of study called b’tzelem Elohim בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים, which translates to “in God’s image.” Our lessons are summarized below.

Students learned the term “in the image of God” to mean that each person is valuable. They encountered classic Jewish stories and phrases that reinforce the value of treating every person with dignity: not being judgmental and realizing that every person is valuable even if they are not your friend or look the same as you. Through skits and discussions, students learned that recognizing that each person has worth and dignity can help them navigate difficult social situations. We also studied classic Jewish statements that reinforced the value of treating every person with dignity and use them to argue for inclusion. We discussed some things we can do to treat people with disabilities with dignity. We also watched some short videos and discussed Jewish diversity – both external in terms of how people look, and internal – in terms of varying talents and creative abilities. We realized that we can learn and grow from people who are different than us.