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understanding their educational value. In sum, the variety of theories regarding
children`s cognitive and emotional development support a range of possibilities
regarding the age at which multi-dimensional teaching is possible and advisable.
Chapter 7: In the final stages of deliberation, committee members combine theory and
practice by applying the ideas developed in previous chapters to a specific miracle
story, the story of the sun standing still in the book of Joshua, chapter 10, verses 8-14.
The subject matter expert applies the three reading options to the text. The literal
reading relies mostly on peshat-oriented exegesis, attempting to reconstruct the
objective historical event described in the text, and seeking harmonistic solutions for
first-order questions. The metaphoric approach exploits some of the first-order
questions emerging from the text, as well as drawing upon a selection of midrashim,
encouraging the reader to exercise his imaginative faculties when analyzing the story,
especially in the search for hidden meanings. As opposed to the first approach, this
hermeneutic option accords dominance to questions of the second order. The dialogic
approach operates in a similar fashion, but directs the reader to the eternal
"spokenness" of the story in order to stimulate a dialogue with the text. (As to the
relative advantages of each approach, see below.)
Chapter 8: In the final chapter we consider the role of the teacher in applying the
suggested hermeneutical options to the teaching of biblical miracle stories. No
educational theory can succeed without the cooperation of the teachers, and therefore
translating theory into practice includes weighing teachers` willingness to experiment
with new curricula. We have already noted the natural conservative bias of teachers
against innovative educational ideas, and particularly in the mamad. On the other
hand, research has shown that teachers of limudei kodesh (=sacred subjects) in Israeli
public schools wish to engage their students on a deeper level than just knowledge,
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