Over the past 75 years, Jewish day schools in North America have experimented with ways of teaching Jewish identity. The methodologies ranged from heavy textual induction to deep discussion to Israeli dance to computer-based solutions to maker spaces to Project Based Learning. In that time a singular topic remains under-developed: how to teach about the Divine. Most approaches focus on either: trying to create an emotional connection with God through nature, meditation, or experiential learning; or sharing a significant amount of knowledge about the topic of God with the potential for some discussion from students.

What other methods could teachers employ to build a strong, lasting Jewish identity in their students?

Perhaps we should consider a paradigm shift for thinking about God in the classroom. The idea of preparation plus opportunity equals success draws from the business world, but this wisdom points at a different way to think about educating children. Throughout a child’s life, many opportunities come up for the child to test, hone, seek out, and avoid a deep, individual understanding of God and how that understanding adds value to their life. Those pivotal moments can help a child actualize their beliefs instead of accepting someone else’s stock list, data points, or narratives about God. In this paradigm, the teacher shifts away from passing on the Mesorah to preparing the child for those non-classroom life moments when the student will examine the world independently and come to personal conclusions. In this paradigm preparation involves radical differences from other models.

Teachers can build their students’ spiritual development by nurturing specific traits. Spiritually healthy children...