Research and Reflections on the Spiritual Development of Young Jewish Children

Abstract

This article is about spiritual development for early childhood Jewish education. Findings from a research study defines the spiritual development of young children as an integration of deep connections, basic dispositions (strengthened from experiences of wonderment, awe, joy, inner peace), and complex dispositions (displayed through acts of caring, kindness, empathy, and reverence)—all reinforced by modeling and spiritual moments. Buber's philosophy of I and Thou, Heschel's views of radical amazement and the sublime, and Senge's system thinking offer lenses for integrating a Jewish perspective to this theory of spiritual development.