Teach Your Children Well...

[In January, I spoke about what Judaism has to say about politics. Not necessarily that Judaism says that one should belong to a particular American political party or vote in a particular way, but in as much as politics is the expression of our national will, we as Jews should be knowledgeable about and guided by the moral and ethical teachings of our Jewish heritage in making our political decisions. This month, we will examine the issues of public education. – Rabbi Abraham]


In every country, district and town we should arrange for education for the children. A city which does not have a school for its children is excommunicated until arrangements for lessons are made. If the citizens of that town don't want to make such arrangements then the city should be destroyed, for the world exists only because of the [merit of the] study of school children.
Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Talmud Torah 2:1

It should not be surprising that the medieval sage Maimonides’ code summarizing Jewish law should have whole section concerning the laws of education – Hilchot Talmud Torah (remembering that Torah means not only specifically the five books of Moses, but also education as a whole). The first chapter tells about the responsibility to teach one’s own children and what to teach them. The second chapter discusses the responsibilities of the community regarding the education of its children. In addition to the requirement of a town to provide education, there are also suggestions about the age to begin learning (around six or seven), the class size (maximum 25 for one teacher, with an aide until 40, and a second teacher after that), and the proper attitude and aptitudes of instructors (not one who is slovenly, or who pays little attention to the students).

Judaism is a religion that is based on learning – as we noted in our last congregational education day, we are known as the people of the book. But, beyond the idea that a certain amount of instruction is needed to preserve Judaism, we further believe that education is needed to preserve Jews. This fact may often be lost in our modern world of supplemental Jewish education – where we focus on educating about Judaism. The origin of Reform Judaism was in the era in which European Jews were once again beginning to be permitted to study at universities. The concept arose of torah im derekh eretz – Torah with the way of the world, or Jewish and secular education.

Now, where does Judaism stand on the education of others – of those outside the Jewish community? On the one hand, the tradition does heavily favor Jewish study, which is neither relevant nor expected of those who are not regularly involved in the Jewish world. On the other hand, we Jews, in general, have seen our situation improve as the education and knowledge of our neighbors improves. The more knowledgeable and literate a society, the less likely there is to be prejudice (with a few glaring exceptions). Also, we were reminded recently at our Passover seders that we were slaves in Egypt, and we know what it is like to be oppressed. Education can be a means to avoid slavery and oppression – by the ability to change one’s circumstances, know one’s rights, or seek redress of wrongs.

On the means of funding public education, there is a large divide in the Jewish community. In much of the Orthodox community, where separate education in day schools outside the public school sphere is emphasized, there is strong support of voucher systems and public funding for private education. On the more integrated liberal side, where Jewish children are more likely to be in public schools, there is more support for public education and funding. Both because of the deep Jewish commitment to learning for one’s children and education in general, it is not surprising to see Jewish parents so active on PTA’s and school boards.

Some questions to ponder: Where does education fit on the Jewish value ladder – in relation to providing food, clothing, and shelter? How much do we believe, as a value, in the potential of education and what is the necessary infrastructure of a society that rewards education? How do we deal with difficult issues like quotas to help those disadvantaged, when we have been restricted by quotas in the past? What is the personal vs. the communal responsibility for secular or Jewish education?

Rabbi Joel N. Abraham