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OLOHKKORY
HOUSE
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PIT COOKED BARBECUE
A Philosophy
of Jewish
Education
by SAMUEL I ZAKUTO
RABBI, TEMPLE ISRAEL, VALDOSTA, GA.
John McDaniel Wholesale Supplies
Roofing Material
660'Murphy Ave., S.W. PL. 5-7713
Atlanta 10, Ga.
OUR SINCERE WISHES
FOR PASSOVER
Capitol Fish Company
Wholesale Distributors
INSTITUTIONAL GROCERIES,
FROZEN FOODS AND SEAFOODS
777 W. Whitehall Street, S.W.
Atlanta 10, Georgia
Telephone PLaza 5-4511
. may the
message of
PASSOVER inspire men in the conquered
countries to continue their efforts for
FREEDOM.
A Friend
The secret of the persistence
of the Jewish people lies in
the fact that throughout their
long period of history they
have never allowed themselves
to sever a single link in the
continuity of their Jewish edu-
cation. “This book of the law
shall not depart out of thy
mouth; but thou shalt medi
tate therein day and night,
that thou mayest observe to do
according to all that is written
therein.” (Joshua 1:8). This is
the eternal command to Israel
to educate not only its youth
but also its adults. Jewish
education never ends. It con
tinues as a part of the Jewish
way of life and it takes in the
whole of life. Jewish training
e\isted from the time of Abra
ham, who is looked upon as
the pioneer of the Jewish
faith, and who was bidden to
“command his children and his
household after him, that they
may keep the way of the Lord
to do righteousness and just
ice.” (Genesis 18:19). This pas
sage has become the pivot
upon which the philsophy of
Jewish education has develop
ed throughout the ages. It has
been used to show, over and
over again, the importance
Judaism has attached to Jew
ish training and education.
Though it was the duty of
every Jewish father to train
his children, the first public
agents of education in Israel
were the priests, to whom the
people came for instruction on
questions concerning religious
conduct and ritual. Thus the
word Torah (Pentateuch) came
to be known as instruction.
Another agent in Jewish
public instruction was the
prophet. He was the spokesman
of Good and Righteousness
and he became the most tower
ing figure in ancient Israel.
Both priest and prophet ad
dressed themselves to the peo
ple, offering them instruction
in true living—personal, na
tional and religious.
After priest and prophet
there came the sage, the fore
runner of the ancient and mod
ern rabbis. Thus the term
“Rabbi” came to mean “My
Teacher,” and even though the
Temple was destroyed, and we
were removed from our land
and dispersed over the entire
surface of the world, Israel
felt safe as long as we had
Rabbis, and children in the
schools. The little children be
came the Messiahs of God. But
education did not end here, for
it would be erroneous to as
sume that in post-exilic days
Jewish education was chiefly
in terms of childhood. On the
contrary, the education of the
adult was the final goal, and
the continuance of education
throughout life was the su
preme duty of religion. The
study of the Torah was de
clared to be among those func
tions of the religious life upon
which there is no fixed limit,
like acts of loving kindness,
mercy, etc. Every synajgogue
became not just a place of
worship, but primarily a place
of study. And study was trans
lated also to mean worship.
In the 12th century, Maim-
onides, the greatest of the Jew
ish philosophers and sages
summed up the duty of the
Jew in these words, “Every
man in Israel is obliged to
study the Law, be he rich or
poor, well or afflicted, young
or old. Even a poor man liv
ing on charity and going about
seeking alms, or one who has
the care of a wife and chil
dren, must set aside periods of
day and night to study. For
whenever he fails to devote
himself to study, he is sure
to forget.”
The love for education has
thus been ingrained in the Jew
for thousands of years, and has
remained part of his religious
life even in modern times, un
folding his spiritual capacities
and perceptions for the en
noblement of ethical purposes.
Jewish education has served
and still serves for the Jew a
double purpose—first, the en
noblement of the highest ideals
of ethics and morality and its
dissemination to the world by
the Jew’s endeavor to live
such an exemplary life, and
The Southern Israelite
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