Carpool Curriculum

Now in its sixth year, with a readership of hundreds, Carpool Curriculum is a fun and engaging weekly Torah exploration for families and educators developed by Michael S. Raileanu, M.A.Ed. It is distributed every week by email.

It consists of a brief commentary on the Torah portion of the week, together with thought-provoking questions for you to talk about with your family. Parents, this is a great way to get your kids engaged in the Torah. Kids, the Torah is fun -- and you can prove it to your parents with Carpool Curriculum.

Educators appreciate the age-appropriate nature of Carpool Curriculum, and how easy it is to use with their students.

The suggested contribution for a year of Carpool Curriculum is $18.00. To contribute online via PayPal, click here.

If you would like to honor or remember a loved one, you can do so by sponsoring a week or a month of Carpool Curriculum. For more information, please send us an email.

Remember, Torah study can happen anywhere, anytime. Take Carpool Curriculum along for the ride!

Current issue - published Feb. 28, 2010

Parashat Ki Tissah (Exodus 30:10 - 34:35)

Happy, happy Purim! Well, we move on to Parashat Ki Tissah (Exodus 30:10 - 34:35). We've got a census of the Israelites, we've got the beginning of building of the tabernacle, Aaron and the boys are ready to take over, oh, and there is the whole Golden Calf thing!

Why are we counting the Israelites again? Tell me again, who gets counted? If we're not counting everyone, and we'e not, what do we do about those who don't get counted? Why might we need to know who they are? When might we need to know how many of them there are out there?
Welcome back to Bezalel and Oholiab. Tell me who are they again? What is so special about Bezalel? Who is he related to? What is their job?
The reminder about building the tabernacle is followed immediately by a quick discussion about keeping the laws of Shabbat. Why does God put that here? Do you think the Israelites would be so zealous about building the tabernacle that they might work on the Shab? Would you? Do you know anyone who works 24/7? What is their life like? What's the advantage of taking some time of every once in a while?
Moshe is up on the mountain for a long time. The people grow impatient and build the Golden Calf (boo hiss!). What do you think about that? How patient or impatient are you?
The rabbis teach us that Aaron was an unwilling participant in this whole deal. Why would he do it? What is his role amongst the people? Why would they turn to him at a time like this? Who else would be able to lead them? If you were in Aaron's place what would you have done?