Joshua writes...

Rabbi Levy,

You came and spoke at our church last year and led us through a typical Passover meal. Currently, I am going to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and taking a class in the History of Biblical Education. We have learned that the home is the center for education in the Jewish community as is seen in the Pentateuch and all of the Old Testament. My question is: Concerning the present-day educational practices in the home that were observed in biblical times, what changes, if any have been made?

I wait with great expectation to see how you can enlighten me in this area of Jewish History and present day Jewish life.

Faithfully Serving,

Joshua

Rabbi Isaac Levy responds...

Dear Brother Shalom,

Thank you for the question.

I assume your question is regarding the Jewish home in general and not specifically something about what the Orthodox do for example.

For hundreds of years the Jewish notion of the strength of their country was related directly to the strength of the home. The Jewish home in Israel was a haven for the total nurturing, teaching, and security of the child. The mother would teach ethics while the father would teach Torah. The mother would teach the material and physical aspects of life while the father provided the spiritual essence of life through Torah.

At the age of 5 the boy would accompany his father to the temple/synagogue. After the morning service the father would go to work, or to full time Yeshiva study- while his son would return to the care of his mother. Then when the son turns 13 years old, he is turned over to his father for adult studies where he begins learning the practical applications of Torah. The son will learn of his responsibility to elders and parents- he will start learning about raising a family and becoming the priest of his home.

Today the average Jewish family is more interested in the material than the spiritual. The parents are still just as involved in the life of their children, but more in the material sense- they concentrate getting their children to finish school and succeed in the business world, whilst the nucleus of morality and ethics have "played second fiddle". For many families today- believing in God and spirituality has become something of the past.

Shalom in Yeshua,

Rabbi Isaac Levy