Elu Metziot – Mishnah

Notes

1. 1The textbook becomes a guide for the student instead of a "board display," so the student uses their own energy resources and engages in cognitive activity — reading, understanding, and thinking — while the textbook is always at hand to help, such as for memorizing, reviewing, and sharing with parents, siblings, friends, family, and others.
2. 2The student does not need to rely on memory of what they heard, since their book is always available to help, which strengthens their study of the Gemara as well as their confidence and self-image as they advance in Torah study.
3. 3In setting the teaching and educational goals, we aimed to provide general goals that encompass all the details of teaching and education from the textbook, and in general from the "Elu Metziot" set, since the details of teaching and education are numerous and are acquired through study with the "Elu Metziot" set — but as overarching goals, you will find them in this lesson.
4. 4At every stage of the lesson, the teacher may turn to the practice book and work with the students to master the study template, then move to the original Gemara page and study the passage from it. This gives the student a sense of capability — "Look, I am succeeding."
5. 5The teacher is not required to structure the lesson exactly according to this format, since the teacher and students have many tools within the study set for conducting the teaching and education, and the rabbi should do so according to the students' ability and his own good judgment.

Learning Objectives

1. 1The student will know the Torah source for the mitzvah of returning a lost object.
2. 2The student will know the reason for the mitzvah of returning a lost object.
3. 3The student will know how to read and understand the Mishnah with Rashi's commentary; where there is no Rashi, the student will know how to read and understand the explanation given for the Mishnah's words.
4. 4The student will know how to read the Mishnah with Rashi's commentary on an original Gemara page.

Educational Objectives

1. 1The student will internalize that Mishnah should be studied in an orderly and clear manner, with noticeable understanding and knowledge.
2. 2The student will internalize how important it is to learn the details of the mitzvah of returning a lost object, in order to fulfill this mitzvah without deficiency.
3. 3The student will internalize that the entire purpose of studying Gemara is to bring about actual practice.
4. 4Involving the student during the lesson and making them active strengthens their skills.
5. 5The student will get to know the sages of the Mishnah and Talmud, and will strengthen their spiritual connection to them through the book "Emunat Chachamim."

Awareness Objectives

1. 1The student will distinguish the heading of each study passage that makes up the sugya.
2. 2The student will distinguish between the text of the Gemara, the text of Rashi's commentary, and the text of the explanation in each study passage.
3. 3The student will notice that the Aramaic language in Rashi's commentary is explained in Hebrew.
4. 4The student will notice, at the end of the studied passage, the references to: the practice book, the "Emunat Chachamim" book, and the halacha in expanded form.

Didactic Difficulties

1. 1What is the general topic studied in the sugya, and what are its individual components.
2. 2Reading the Mishnah passages correctly and precisely.
3. 3Understanding the cases / concepts / laws / reasons brought in the Mishnah: a. those with no explanation in Rashi. b. those with an explanation in Rashi.
4. 4Finding the relevant d"h (heading) in Rashi for the studied passage.
5. 5Reading Rashi correctly and precisely.
6. 6Understanding the Mishnah passage according to Rashi's explanation.
7. 7Understanding the concept of "despair" (yiush) and its halachic connection to the mitzvah of returning a lost object.
8. 8Reading the Mishnah with Rashi's commentary from an original Gemara page.

Solving the Didactic Difficulties

1. 1The general topic appears in a main heading in red, with an introduction clarifying the essence of the topic. The details of the sugya are sub-headings for each passage, appearing in orange.
2. 2The Mishnah text in each passage is highlighted in yellow, in large, easy-to-read, punctuated script.
3. 3a. Where there is no Rashi commentary on the Mishnah passage, the student will find, beneath the Mishnah text on a white background, an explanation for each detail of the Mishnah's words. b. Where there is a Rashi commentary, beneath it the student will find an explanation of the Mishnah passage that incorporates an understanding of the plain meaning according to Rashi's explanation.
4. 4When there is a Rashi commentary on the Mishnah text, it appears beneath the Gemara text, highlighted in cream. The d"h in Rashi for the Mishnah text is emphasized.
5. 5Rashi's text is presented in large Hebrew script, easy to read and punctuated.
6. 6The Aramaic words within Rashi's commentary are explained in Hebrew, so that every student can read Rashi's commentary clearly, correctly, and fluently, develop their reading comprehension of Rashi, and arrive at a correct understanding of the cases and laws of the Mishnah as they truly are.
7. 7An explanation of the concept of "despair" (yiush) and its connection to the one who loses an object and the one who finds it.
8. 8Moving to the practice book: a. punctuating and dividing the Mishnah, reading it in the form it appears on the original Gemara page, self-testing during the studied passage together with the textbook to complete the knowledge, and moving the student toward the goal of reading the Mishnah with Rashi on an original Gemara page.

Lesson Structure

1. 1Opening – 5 minutes
2. 2Studying the passage – 25 minutes
3. 3Lesson summary – 3 minutes
4. 4Moving to the practice book – until the end of the lesson

Important Notes

1. 1At the end of each part of the lesson's details, the achievement of the objectives and the resolution of the didactic difficulties appear in parentheses, by number.
2. 2During the lesson, the teacher can assess where each student struggles — whether with word explanations, concepts, reading the Gemara or Rashi's commentary, general reading comprehension, or in particular understanding the flow of the Talmudic discussion. This way the teacher will know in which matter the student struggles, and can emphasize, strengthen, and guide the student toward resolving the difficulties with the help of the study set.

Opening: Engaging the Students with Questions Related to the Topic of the Mishnah

1. 1Let's define: which lost object may the finder keep for themselves, and which must they announce?
2. 2In your opinion, what makes a lost object belong to the one who found it — is it simply because it has no identifying mark?
3. 3So what if I found a lost object and took it for myself — what could possibly happen?
4. 4I'm so hungry, and I found some borekas — that's it, I've decided in my heart, I'm going to eat them to my heart's content!

Part A – Introducing the Topic and Its Essence

1. 1The rabbi will read the introduction and explain it to the students. [p. 14 – Learning Objective 1 – Educational Objective 1]
2. 2In each study passage, the rabbi will emphasize to the students that success in studying the Gemara depends on them, so they must follow along in the textbook and listen to their classmates who are reading. [All teaching and educational objectives are achieved]
3. 3The rabbi will ask a student to read the reason for the mitzvah. [Learning Objective 2 – Educational Objectives 3, 4]
4. 4The rabbi will read the heading for the Mishnah and briefly explain the cases / laws and their reasons. [Awareness Objective 1 – Solving Didactic Difficulty 1]
5. 5The rabbi will ask a student to read the first passage of the Mishnah and its explanation, and will ask clarifying questions, such as: which found objects belong to whom? Or: and which must be announced — who are they, and who must announce them? [As presented in the practice book – Learning Objective 3 – Educational Objective 1 – Awareness Objective 2 – Didactic Difficulties 2, 3]
6. 6The rabbi will ask a student to read: "What does the concept of despair (yiush) tell us?" [Educational Objectives 2, 3 – Solving Didactic Difficulties 2, 3, 7]
7. 7The rabbi will ask a student to explain the process by which the lost object becomes acquired by the finder. [Learning Objective 3 – Reading comprehension]
8. 8The rabbi will emphasize that a lost object is acquired by the finder only because its owners have despaired of it.

Part B – Detailing the Found Objects that Belong to the Finder

1. 1The rabbi will read only the first three passages of the Mishnah, up to the words of Rabbi Meir, and give a brief explanation to introduce the students to the topic. [Educational Objectives 1, 4 – Awareness Objectives 1, 2]
2. 2The rabbi will ask a student to read the first case and its explanation in Rashi, and explain why it belongs to the finder. [Learning Objective 3 – Educational Objectives 1, 4 – Awareness Objectives 1–3 – Didactic Difficulties 2, 6]
3. 3The rabbi will ask a student to read the second case and its explanation in Rashi, and explain why it belongs to the finder. [Learning Objective 3 – Educational Objectives 1, 4 – Awareness Objectives 1–3 – Didactic Difficulties 2, 6]
4. 4The rabbi will read the explanation and once again emphasize that a lost object belongs to the finder because the owner has despaired of it and the object becomes ownerless.
5. 5The rabbi will ask a student to read the third case, its explanation in Rashi, and the explanation, and to summarize in their own words the case / law / reason, explaining why it belongs to the finder. [Learning Objective 3 – Educational Objectives 1, 4 – Awareness Objectives 1–3 – Didactic Difficulties 2, 6]
6. 6The rabbi will read the third passage, "a common identifying mark is not a valid mark," and for every case in the Mishnah that has no Rashi commentary, will read it from the explanation to the students; where there is a Rashi, he will read the d"h of Rashi's commentary followed by the explanation, guiding the students in each case where to look and follow along. [Learning Objective 3 – Educational Objectives 1, 4 – Awareness Objectives 1–3 – Didactic Difficulties 2, 6]
7. 7The rabbi will summarize Part B of the lesson. [This organizes the lesson in the students' minds]
8. 8The rabbi will direct the students to the book "Emunat Chachamim," p. 83, to get to know Rabbi Meir [the miracle-worker]. [Educational Objective 5]

Part C – "A Found Object Whose Owner Altered as an Identifying Mark"

1. 1The rabbi will ask a student to read the case and the two examples, along with their explanations. [Learning Objective 3 – Educational Objectives 1, 4 – Awareness Objectives 1, 2 – Didactic Difficulties 2, 3]
2. 2The rabbi will direct the students to the book "Emunat Chachamim," p. 67, to get to know Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai. [Educational Objective 5]

Part D – "He Found New Vessels"

1. 1The rabbi will ask a student to read the case / its law / its reason, along with their explanations. [Learning Objective 3 – Educational Objectives 1, 4 – Awareness Objectives 1, 2 – Didactic Difficulties 2, 3]
2. 2The rabbi will direct the students to the book "Emunat Chachamim," p. 120, to get to know Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar. [Educational Objective 5]
3. 3The rabbi will summarize the parts of the lesson.

Moving to the Practice Book

The rabbi will draw the students' attention to the "references" at the end of the study passage, and they will open the practice book to p. 8, where they will read the Mishnah passage and divide it into its parts, answer the questions arranged according to the flow of the Mishnah, and use the textbook to help with the practice book.

Moving to Reading and Studying the Mishnah on an Original Gemara Page

1. 1As already mentioned in Note 4: at every stage of the lesson, the teacher may turn to the practice book and work with the students to master the study template, then move to the original Gemara page and study the passage from it. This gives the student a sense of capability — "Look, I am succeeding."
2. 2Therefore, at the end of studying a passage / segment, the rabbi may move to the practice book and then move to reading the passage / segment being studied from the original Gemara pages, all according to the rabbi's judgment and the pace of the students' learning.
3. 3Let us remember: a single passage studied from the original Gemara pages represents a tremendous achievement for the student. Their desire and wish to study Gemara becomes positive, their confidence and self-image rise immeasurably — to the point of opening a new path in studying Gemara with understanding and enjoyment.
4. 4The teacher may guide the students to punctuate the flow of the sugya or to highlight elements of the give-and-take, such as: the start of a question / an answer / a proof / support, and so on, on the original Gemara page. In this way, the student adds markers that assist them in reading / understanding / thinking on the original Gemara page, until they can do so independently.

Moving to the Expanded Halacha

The rabbi will draw the students' attention to the expanded halacha of the rulings that emerge from the Mishnah, on p. 70, sections 18–22.