It’s All About Proper Education

How precious is a Jewish education? The sages teach us that the first priority of our Forefathers was to establish a Yeshiva. Where do we see this? The Torah tells us that “[Yaakov] sent Yehuda… ahead to the city of Goshen” (Bereshit 46:28). Our sages explain that Yehuda was sent ahead to prepare a place of study for the family of Yaakov; a Yeshiva. Here we have Yaakov, who was en route with his entire family, mass immigrating to a new country, and his first priority was to ensure that his destination has a place for Jewish education.

Our Rabbis teach us that even after over 200 hundred in Egypt, the Jewish people were able to maintain three crucial traits which identified them as a nation apart. They retained their dress code, their language, and their Jewish names. The Jews of course spoke Egyptian as well, to communicate with the surrounding populace; however amongst themselves they spoke only their father-tongue. We are also informed that these three characteristics ensured their redemption from Egypt, since it prevented the nation from being totally subsumed into the morally bankrupt Egyptian culture.

We find ourselves again exiled amongst the nations. It has been close to 2000 years since we were ejected from our homeland and our Temple destroyed. In this long exile, we must follow our forefather’s footsteps and prioritize for our survival. As we see above, the first priority is Jewish education. Beyond that, we must teach and remind ourselves and our families to always look and behave as befits a Jew. We must also invest time and effort in educating ourselves and our children, so that we are fluent in Lashon HaKodesh (Torah Hebrew). Finally, we must retain our names as well, because they serve as a constant reminder that we are Hashem’s Children.

Today we are facing a severe scenario which may threaten our very way of life.  Certain government officials have decided to enforce their own view of what is necessary in education, and thus threaten to push away time we devote to our Torah. This of course stems from ignorance. Besides the statistics which demonstrate the success of the Yeshiva system, we have the Mishnah which tells us “Hafoch Boh Hafoch Boh, d’Kuloh Boh – Turn it over and investigate it, because all [wisdom] is in it (Pirkei Avot chp. 5)”. If the world would simply see what our Torah contains, they would say “Surely, that great nation is a wise and discerning people (Devarim 4:6).” The wisdom of the Torah contains all of the wisdoms of the world. For example, if you want to understand astronomy, open up the Rambam on the laws of Kiddush HaChodesh (Sanctification of the New Moon). If you want to know medical procedures, open up the many portions of the Talmud which discuss medicine and medical procedures.

There is a nice story with the Chazon Ish which demonstrates this very well. A person once came over to him regarding a present brain tumor. The medical knowledge of the time (about 70 years ago) did not have the same expertise as today regarding the necessary procedure. The Chazon Ish was a very old man; he put all of his life into the Torah, all of his efforts. He asked the man for an X-ray of the affected area and then proceeded to draw lines and arrows. The Chazon Ish finally included a small note on the photo and placed it in an envelope, with instructions that the patient bring it back to his doctors at the hospital. The patient followed the Rav’s instructions and handed the envelope over to his doctor. The doctor looked and was shocked. He gathered all of his colleagues and asked “does anyone object to this suggestion?” All of the assembled answered in the negative, and the doctor asked the patient, “Which doctor gave you these instructions for removing the tumor without damaging the surrounding tissue?” “Not a doctor” answered the patient, “a Rav drew these instructions”. The doctor responded that he would like to be introduced to this Rav.

The patient brought the secular doctor to the living-quarters of the Chazon Ish, and the first question the doctor asked the Rav was “Which university did you graduate from?! From where is your knowledge about brain surgery?” The Rav responded that he never graduated any university, but rather drew his knowledge from the laws of Trefot.” Someone who properly learns the laws of Trefot gains an immense knowledge of anatomy. The doctor realized that the instructions were the best possible for the operation and successfully removed the tumor. We know that this same secular doctor became a Baal Teshuvah (religious Jew) after this event; he experienced a depth of wisdom contained within the Torah.

Our Torah education sharpens the mind, structures it, and allows our children to succeed in any path they choose. I once met with a leader in the tech industry. He told me that when he decides between job applicants, he chooses those with a Torah background over those with only a secular education. This is because he notices that the Yeshiva products pick things up much quicker, are more creative and more productive. We cannot survive as a nation without Torah, and we should realize how powerful it is for the proper education of our children. Especially in these times, we should stand firm and tall, never bowing under the pressure to adopt ‘enlightened’ schooling. May we all merit the Geulah Sheleima, Amen.