Jewish education
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jewish education (Hebrew: חינוך, Chinuch) is the transmission of the tenets, principles and religious laws of Judaism. Due to its emphasis on Torah study, many have commented that Judaism is characterised by "lifelong learning" that extends to adults as much as it does to children.
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[edit] Biblical sources
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There is no direct commandment amongst the 613 mitzvot to teach Judaism in itself. The only directly educational mitzvah (commandment) is "you shall rehearse [the words of Shema] to your children and speak about them" (Deuteronomy 6:7) and its paraphrase in Deuteronomy 11:19. These refer, however, specifically to the commandments to love God. The obligation to teach Judaism to one's children is therefore rabbinic in origin.
Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (in his Meshech Chochma) observes that God's statement "[Abraham is blessed because] he will instruct his children and his house after him to follow in God's ways to perform righteousness and justice" (Genesis 18:19) is an implicit mitzvah to teach Judaism.
[edit] Formal Jewish education
[edit] Primary schooling
The Talmud (tractate Bava Bathra 21a) praises the sage Joshua ben Gamla (1st century CE) with the institution of formal Jewish education. Prior to this, parents taught their children informally. Ben Gamla instituted schools in every town and made education compulsory from the age of 6 or 7. The Talmud attaches great importance to the "Tinokot shel beth Rabban" (the children [who study] at the Rabbi's house), stating that the world continues to exist for their learning and that even for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem classes are not to be interrupted (tractate Shabbat 119b).
[edit] The yeshiva
In Mishnaic and Talmudic times young men were attached to a beth din (court of Jewish law), where they sat in three rows and progressed as their fellow students were elevated to sit on the court.
After the formal court system was abolished, yeshivot became the main places for Torah study. The Talmud itself was composed largely in the yeshivot of Sura and Pumbedita in Babylonia, and the leading sages of the generation taught there. Yeshivot have remained of central importance in the Orthodox community to this day. Until the 19th century, young men generally studied under the local rabbi, who was allocated funds by the Jewish community to maintain a number of students. The Hasidic masters and the Lithuanian rabbi Chaim Volozhin both founded centralised yeshivot.
[edit] Jewish day schools
The phenomenon of the "Jewish day school" is of relatively common origin. Until the 19th and 20th century, boys attended the Cheder (literally "room") or Talmud Torah where they were taught by a Melamed tinokot (children's teacher).
The first Jewish day schools developed in Germany, largely in response to the higher emphasis in general on secular studies. In the past, an apprenticeship was sufficient to learn a profession, or alternatively several years in a gymnasium could prepare one adequately for university. Rabbis who pioneered Jewish day schools included rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, whose Realschule in Frankfurt am Main served as a model for numerous similar institutions.
[edit] Girls' education
It was also in the 19th and early 20th century that an emphasis was first placed on girls' education. Prior to this, especially in Eastern Europe, girls received their education at home in only the most basic subjects, and were often illiterate even in Hebrew. It was as a result of the initiative of Sarah Schenirer, that the first Bais Yaakov school opened in Kraków in 1917.
[edit] Informal Jewish Education
[edit] Youth Groups
Many young Jewish people receive much of their Jewish education through attending Jewish youth organizations. Many of these are Zionist youth movements. The various organizations differ in political ideology, religious affiliation, and leadership structure, although they all tend to be characterized by a focus on youth leadership.
[edit] Summer Camps
Many young people, especially in the United States, attend Jewish summer camps. Outside the United States, such camps will generally be organized by youth movements.
[edit] Student Organizations
Much informal Jewish education is organized on university campuses. This is often supported by national organizations, such as Hillel (United States) or the Union of Jewish Students (United Kingdom), or by international organizations such as the World Union of Jewish Students and the European Union of Jewish Students.
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[edit] Drama-based education
One cutting-edge approach to alternative Jewish education is to harness the power of drama to bring historical characters to life and make them more relevant and realistic. This approach has been very effective in helping convey Jewish values and a strong sense of identity to audiences of all ages.
Jewish Crossroads (http://jewishcrossroads.org) is one organization that has used this approach since the early 1990's. Its founder, Shlomo Horwitz, takes on roles of such characters as Tomas de Torquemada, Rabbi Akiva, Eldad the Danite or even a 1936-era Nazi to present his audience with decisions facing these people as they sought to persecute or lead the Jewish people. Depending on the audience, handouts can be distributed showing maps and period documents for perusal and analysis. When 'out of character', the leader solicits questions and discussions ensue.
[edit] External links
- The World of the Jewish Youth Movement by Daniel Rose - on movements and informal education
- JESNA Jewish Education Service of North America
