Looking for an educational activity that allows students to explore their own interests through Jewish texts?
Here's an idea for you, courtesy of Sefaria user and educational consultant Tikvah Wiener: Borrow the format of our very own Timeless Topics newsletter (an email that introduces readers to Jewish sources around a specific theme each week) and have students create their own issues on themes of their choosing.
Our Timeless Topics emails draw on Sefaria's 5,000+ Topic pages, which aggregate sources thematically. These pages cover everything from Jewish holidays and rituals to biblical characters to everyday things like love, water, or time. Each and every Topic, from the highly specific to the universal, is explored through the lens of Jewish texts.
But of course, Jewish texts are many and vast. Whereas in the past it might have been too open-ended and overwhelming a task for a student to find their own sources around a theme like cats or friendship, now it's totally doable using the power of Topics on Sefaria. These pages narrow down and focus the library's contents, giving students a distinct starting point for following their curiosity.
Below, we'll walk you through the exact steps our team uses to craft our Timeless Topics newsletter, and which your students can replicate to go on their own topical learning journeys.
- Browse Topics on Sefaria to find a theme that’s interesting and has everyday relevance (like water, friendship, or music — but you can choose Judaic concepts, too).
- Scroll through the sources on the page and choose three to highlight, each with a different perspective and representing various text categories (such as Tanakh, Halakhah, Chasidut, etc.).
- Write up three reflections questions to prompt readers to notice what stood out to them and how the sources can apply to their own lives.
Need to see Timeless Topics for yourself before doing this activity? Check out an example or sign up to receive it directly in your inbox.