Videos of the Rebbe Talking About Education

The assassination attempt on President Reagan's life proves that poverty cannot be blamed as the true source of crime. Crime comes from a deeper source.

The best way to heal illness is through preventive measures. The disease of crime is a reality, but recognizing that it is real should bring about real change. The education system must reorient itself to stop this disease before it manifests. We are not calling for a "new" resolution, but rather a return to the values accepted by the citizens of this country and by all nations.

Proper education means giving our children a delicate balance. They must know Torah’s unwavering fundamentals, which are, “our life and length of our days“ – principles which cannot change, regardless of the circumstances. At the same time, however, the child is told to continually grow, and be innovative in his life’s mission. Just as his body constantly grows, so must his soul grow, every single day.

Civilized society depends on proper education built on a healthy foundation. But the only true foundation for education is the same as that of all of creation: “In the beginning, G-d created the Heavens and the Earth.”

Students benefit from the guidance and supervision of their educators for only a limited number of hours a day. The environments in which children spend much of their after-school hours, whether at home or on the street, exerts a strong influence that is often in conflict with the values they absorb at school. School administrations often overlook this fact.

In his or her free hours after school, a child should not be left to fend for himself against the untoward influences that often surround him. Even well-intentioned individuals who are concerned about education sometimes wait until a teenager finds himself in trouble, and then their concern focuses on how to cope with yet another young “threat to society.”

As representative of the Lubavitch Movement, I was honored to receive a letter from the President of the United States, together with a Declaration to all US citizens, proclaiming the 11th of Nissan as “Education Day.”