RABBI MORDECHAI MCKENNEY

For 14 years, Rabbi Mordechai McKenney has been dedicated to helping the students of Yeshivat Yavneh build the skills and confidence to engage meaningfully with Torah. As a second grade Judaic Studies rebbe, Rabbi McKenney makes the complexities of Torah language approachable and intuitive. Through his innovative ‘chop and box’ method, students decipher prefixes, suffixes and shorashim (roots). Engaging songs and mnemonics help them connect to the text, like Torah portions Lech Lecha and Va’yera. These portions on the story of Abraham and Sarah and the beginning of the journey of the Jewish people also represent the students’ own journeys into deeper Torah learning. His passion for accurate and fluent kriyah (decoding) is evident in his methods for breaking down complicated words and preparing students to read Chumash and siddur text with proper inflection and hav’ara (pronunciation). 

In practicing translation, students internalize the concepts, apply the teachings to everyday life, and strengthen their relationships with the Jewish community and G-d. In every opportunity, Rabbi McKenney imparts wisdom his students will cherish long after they leave his classroom. It is no surprise that his impact extends to children and adults throughout the community, including prospective parents who have requested his tutoring after admiring his kriyah lessons during open houses.