Living Torah Archives

How many times does every parent ask him or herself: “Am I giving my child the very best that’s out there?” Here, the Rebbe argues that “the best” is not just wishful thinking, it’s an obligation.

Rabbi Osher Ehrenreich has served as dean of Bais Yaakov High School for Girls in the Boro Park section of Brooklyn for over six decades. In 1968, he and a group of supporters had an audience with the Rebbe.

In the mid-1970s, Rabbi Gershon Burkis was a member of the Religious Council in the city of Lod, Israel. With a number of children in their schools reaching the age for reading books, he decided to do something about the dearth of quality Jewish educational reading. With blessings and direction from the Rebbe, the Machanayim collection was born.

Faced with the prospect of their baby boys being killed by the Egyptians, the Jews in Egypt followed the lead of Amram, the father of Moses, in flouting Pharaoh's decrees and continuing to have children. These young boys would become the generation to leave the bondage in Egypt and perceive revealed G-dliness at the splitting of the Red Sea.

When it comes to Jewish education, some parents ask, “What’s the rush? When our child learns right from wrong, and matures a little, then we’ll teach him about his heritage. It can wait until he is at least able to understand that he is part of the chosen people, and different to others.”

May all of your students be educated in a manner befitting the Holy Land. To educate others you need to be healthy -- both mentally as well as physically. (Collage)

All important things need preparation, and education is certainly no exception. We need not wait to respond to our children; by being proactive, we can be sure that they’re properly engaged. This is especially true by the Passover Seder. Much of the ritual that surrounds the Passover Seder involves the participation of our children. By properly preparing, all our children, no matter their personalities, can feel welcome and involved.

At the first possible opportunity, we begin teaching our young about their precious heritage. And while the obligation to educate our children only begins once they reach the age of five or six, there is much we can teach them even before then.

Rabbi Eliezer Nisilevitch recalls the dangers his family faced in the Soviet Union as members of the Jewish underground, and the strength and direction they received from the Rebbe even after they had succeeded in emigrating to Israel. (1971)

In the United States, there is much debate about the separation of government and religion.

Throughout the summer months, it is customary to study Pirkei Avos - Ethics of Our Fathers. In this talk to women and girls entering the field of education, the Rebbe uses the first mishna of the tractate to lay the foundation for success as a teacher.

In 1976, as part of his campaign for Jewish education, the Rebbe selected twelve fundamental Torah passages for every Jewish boy and girl.

Rabbi Yaakov Roth is an educator and teacher Miami, Florida. From time to time, he would have his young students send letters to the Rebbe. The Rebbe’s thoughtful responses were touching and inspiring. (Early 1970s)

The book of Genesis relates that “the heart of man is evil from his youth,” and when one looks around at the world today, it seems to confirm this verse. Yet Torah assures that as a person matures, the good within him develops and he can overcome negative character traits by following God’s commandments.

Every child has natural born traits, some positive, some negative. As the child grows and develops, it is the parent’s sacred duty to reinforce the positive ones, and address the negative ones.

When one looks at the world today, one sees increasing crime as well as unprecedented friction between various segments in society.

Long before his bar mitzvah, the Previous Rebbe was already preoccupied with doing acts of kindness. At age eleven he established a free-loan fund, allowing him to help the needy in a dignified manner.

Rabbi Moshe Naparstek, who serves on the faculty of Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim in Kfar Chabad, Isreal, was surprised when during an audience, the Rebbe volunteered advice on the correct approach to education. More than just sound advice, it was a solution to his dilemma. (1960's)

For children, summer vacation is a welcome break from school. For parents and those responsible for their Jewish education, it is an opportunity not to be missed.

Those responsible for allocating communal funds must make some difficult decisions about how the money should best be spent.

He spoke about the imperative to provide Jewish children with an authentic Torah education, even under communist rule.

The great merit of teaching Jewish children Torah and performance of mitzvos will surely bring blessings.

During the slavery of the Jewish people in ancient Egypt, Pharaoh’s harshest decree was that every male child born, be drowned in the Nile.

“Great responsibility brings with it great powers from Above. May you succeed to ‘Educate the child according to his way...’ and merit to see the promise ‘...even as an adult, he will never stray from it.’”

The Talmud teaches: “Let that man be remembered for good, and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Gamla is his name. Until he came, only children with fathers had the opportunity to study Torah, whereas orphans did not. But Rabbi Yehoshua established Torah schools in every province and city for all children, even as young as six and seven.”

Jewish Federations play a valiant role in the collection of funds for Jewish causes worldwide. With this comes the enormous responsibility of allocating the funds appropriately.

Parents are never satisfied to provide their children with the minimum, or even the average. For their own needs a father or mother might settle for less, but for their children they want only the greatest and the best they can provide. If this is so with food and clothing, which are quite temporary, how much more so when it comes to a child’s spiritual education, which impacts the rest of his or her entire life.

Education comes in many forms: First and foremost is to provide a living example. The best way to influence someone is by practicing what you preach. As we approach Passover, the call of the hour is to seek out those who cannot afford the holiday expenses and provide all that they need.

When it came to the Menorah in the Holy Temple, the commandment was to light it anew every day; and to light it, as Rashi says, “until the flame could rise up on its own.”

It is rare for all students of one age group to be on the same academic level in their learning. Dividing the students into smaller classes - one more advanced than the other - creates a healthy incentive for all the students to grow.

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.

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.

As a rabbinic student at 770, Rabbi Aaron Cousin joined his colleagues in working under the New York State "Released time" program, which allows Public School students to receive religious instruction.

Efraim Steinmetz is a businessman from Caracas, Venezuela. He and his wife came to the Rebbe with concerns about their children’s Jewish education. The Rebbe answered with a story from his own childhood.

When your children see you following G-d, they will emulate you. A mother has even greater influence in educating children than a father.

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.