GTP Assignment 2

The place for kiruv(outreach) in the classroom

Manchester
15th February 2013

2428 Words

Introduction

“Take to heart these instructions with which I command you today. Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are on the way, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead; inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and your gates.” (Deut 6:6-9)

The Shemah is not the most authoritative text in Judaism by mere coincidence, it contains the corner stone of our faith which is the transmission of the wisdom and knowledge received at Mount Sinai. In the introduction to his book Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe writes on the necessity of adequate educational methods when transmitting the Torah to ensure its appreciation and its affect on the continuity of the Jewish people.

In this essay I aim to analyse the world of Jewish education; its history, challenges and efficiency, I also seek to evaluate the dangers of using the classroom as a laboratory for kiruv experiments and its consequences in the lives of the students exposed to such professionals.

Education for Life

Brief history

The Talmud attributes formal Jewish schooling to the first century sage Yehoshua ben Gamla, prior to this, parents taught their children informally. The methodology used according to Judah ben Tema was: …“at five years the child is ready for studying the Bible, at ten for studying the Mishnah, at thirteen for fulfilling the mitzvoth, at fifteen for studying the Talmud.” (Avot 5:21). Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, in his book Meshech Chochma, observes an implicit mitzvah to teach Judaism in the following statement by G-d: "Abraham is blessed because he will instruct his children and his house after him to follow in G-d's ways to perform righteousness and justice." (Genesis 18:19) This could be verified hundreds of years later in the writings of King Solomon, in the book of Proverbs, on education: “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your mind retain my commandments; For they will bestow on you length of days, years of life and well-being.“ (Prov 3:1-2).

Classroom Education
In recent years, with the development of pedagogical methodology, we can truly admire the wisdom of our sages, the style of education in Ancient Israel and how it indirectly anticipated many of the practices of modern secular schooling. Yehoshua ben Gamla instituted schools in every town and made education compulsory from the age of six - which is in accordance with present-day requirements throughout the world.

The importance of educating ethically is repeatedly stressed in Pirkei avot: “children are not to be beaten with a stick or cane, but should receive only mild punishment; older students should help out in the education of those who are younger and children should not be kept away from their lessons by other duties”. The number of pupils in a class should not exceed 25; larger classes require the engagement of a relief teacher while two teachers have to be appointed if there are over 40 pupils.

According to Dr. Christopher Dunbar in his article, he briefly describes the ‘goal’ and for many the calling of the teacher, as a provider of the best educational opportunity for all children who come into the classroom. The following is a direct quote: …”This profession provides some days that are much more complicated than others—for example, days when all we can do is collapse when we arrive home because we have given all we had to give. We have undertaken a huge responsibility. We have someone else’s children for whom we are responsible for a good portion of the day. Perhaps it would be less complicated if all our children were well nourished and emotionally, physically, and spiritually healthy. It would probably be much easier if we were sure that all of the children returned home to families who were happy to see them coming. Life as a teacher would be easier if school resources were distributed so that all children had access to new books, updated technology, and the best teachers (who were well compensated for their work). But our reality is different; we take all children and all that they bring to the classroom.”

Perhaps with this somewhat gloomy perception of schools and the pupils, some ‘kiruv educator’ venture their way in to the classroom hoping to bring guidance and light to a generation that seats at the gates of a messianic future, yet distant from their personal redemption but why would they feel this way? This perception of urgency must be given over in the Jewish books on outreach.

Kiruv – The greatest mitzvah

Understanding the mission
You should know, my brother, that even if a believer were to attain the utmost limit in the improvement of his own soul in his devotion to G-d; and even if he were to approach the level of the prophets as far as their personal virtues, their praiseworthy conduct, their effort in serving G-d, and their pure love for Him and concerned, his merits would not equal those of one who guides others to the right path and directs the wicked to the service of the Creator.
(Duties of the Heart: Gate of Loving G-d, perek 6)

In the book The Eye of a Needle, a compilation of teachings from Rabbi Noach Weinberg zt”l, the author explains how in the merits of Avraham Avinu his generation was saved from a similar fate as of the one of the Flood. Elaborating on the verse of Genesis 13:4 “He called out in the name of HaShem”, he describes how Avraham travelled around teaching people about the One G-d, how he confronted idle worshipers to repent and because of his proactive efforts that generation was saved, he went out of his way to reach out to others contrary to the Shem and Ever, son and grandson of Noach, who had an Academy of Torah yet would only teach those that came after them and therefore for ten generations the Almighty was continually angered since the masses didn’t know Him and his Torah – despite the best efforts of Shem and Ever.

Based on the above example to modern kiruv literature is logical to conclude how time cannot be wasted, almost as if this is a race to ensure the survival of future generations. However noble and idealistic kiruv may be it begs the question on who is qualified to teach Torah in a classroom, is it enough to know about the obligation to teach?
Building or destroying
The task of teaching is a fulfilling yet challenging one, with the intensity of the classroom atmosphere, educators are constantly tested on how to respond under stress. It is vastly known that a teacher’s word or expressions make a powerful impression on the student’s heart and mind. A well-chosen word, encouraging word can uplift a child immensely. Conversely, a teacher can do grave and sometimes irreversibly damage when using bitter, angry or abusive speech.

In a meeting with the Deputy Head of my school, he told me how one of the JS teachers speaking on Reward and Punishment, during a classroom discussion, said that the reason for the mother of a pupil dying of cancer was her sins. Needless to say, his point of view didn’t help further the appreciation for Torah in the classroom and how eventually he had to leave the school. Inappropriate comments can still be damaging even when not directed to the pupils in class, a guest speaker to a ‘lunch and learn’ session also navigated into deep waters when he remarked how Jews were more elevated then the ‘goyim’; unfortunately that didn’t go down well either, his perception of non-Jews was taken very negatively. In the book Shaping Eternity, Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Greenwald emphasizes that the only way to effectively educate a child is to connect with his/her soul. He adds: “The teacher who looks to the neshamah of his/her students will never come to hurt them with words.”

In the early nineteenth century, Rabbi Chaim Volozhin declared, “These days, people will not listen to harsh language” If we speak with people harshly or with disdain, they cannot hear what you are say; people only hear soft, pleasant language. Rabbi Volozhin concluded, “And someone whose nature makes it difficult for him to speak softly or angers easily when others misbehave or refuse to listen, is exempt from the commandment to offer rebuke.” Perhaps we could go as far to say that not necessarily because a person has studied in a renowned Yeshivah or received rabbinical ordination enables them with the qualities to teach, especially in a classroom where every action taken or word said can have unwanted effects to the lives of each pupil he comes in contact with. Moshe Rabbenu – Moses our teacher the example

Priorities
The Israelites were on the brink of their release. Moses, our leader, gathered them together and prepared to address them. He could have talked about liberty, the breaking of their chains, and the end of slavery somewhat like Nelson Mandela talking about “the long walk to freedom”. Moses did none of these things. Instead he spoke about children, and the distant future, and the duty to pass on memory to generations yet unborn. “And when your children ask you, ‘What do you mean by this things?’ you shall say . . .” (Ex. 12:26-27)

About to gain their freedom, the Israelites were told that they had to become a nation of educators. That is what made Moses not just a great leader, but a unique one. What the Torah is teaching is that freedom is won, neither on the battlefield, nor in the political arena to defend a free society you need schools. You need families and an educational system in which ideals are passed on from one generation to the next, and never lost, or despaired of, or obscured. So Jews became the people whose passion was education, whose forts were schools and whose heroes were teachers.

I have a dream
The American justice Judge Learned Hand said: “Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it.” This can be explained with our sages’ interpretation of the following verse about the tablets Moses received at Sinai (Ex. 32: 16): "And the tablets are the work of G-d, and the writing is G-d's writing, engraved on the tablets"; read not "engraved" (charut) but "liberty" (cherut)---for there is no free individual, except for he who occupies himself with the study of Torah. And whoever occupies himself with the study of Torah is elevated, as is stated in Number 21:19, "And from the gift to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to The Heights." (Mishnah Avot 6:2

What they meant was that if the law is engraved on the hearts of the people, it does not need to be enforced by police. True freedom – cherut – is the ability to control oneself without having to be controlled by others. Without accepting voluntarily a code of moral and ethical restraints, liberty becomes license and society itself a battleground of warring instincts and desires.

Conclusion

For the past year and a half I have battled against my limitations as a teacher without experience, however what became very clear to me from the start was how a gesture, a word, an expression can be misinterpreted, it can take away the trust needed when teaching Torah. Pupils generally can’t differentiate that Torat HaShem Temima (G-d’s Torah is Perfect) but often teachers aren’t, pupil create this illusion that the ‘Rabbi’ of ‘JS teacher’ is the faithful messenger from G-d and if he/she error it must mean that G-d also did חו"ש.

Two rabbis, colleges of mine come to me asking for a chance to contribute in the school, they wanted to teach a topic for a few weeks and in the process get to know the pupils to encourage Shul attendance. After a few lessons, one remembered he wasn’t CRB checked, the other simple said that his schedule had changed and despite my attempts to rearrange things to suit them, different excuses were given. One of the parents wrote to the school because her child complained that on a few occasions the rabbis complained how difficult their class was to teach. It became apparent to me from that experience is that, passion and enthusiasm aren’t enough to make a person an effective teacher. Kiruv has a place in the classroom, in fact I think that Torah learning is all about kiruv since through it we become closer to G-d. As a rabbi with a background in Anthropology, I have observed that the transmission of knowledge for reasons other than the sole benefit of the recipient is often unsuccessful and sometimes even detrimental plus it can produce serious consequences in the classroom.

Moses, in his speech before leaving Egypt, was telling the Israelite that freedom is more than a moment of political triumph. It is a constant effort, throughout the ages to teach future generations the battles our ancestors fought, and why, so that our freedom is never sacrificed, or purchased at the cost of someone else’s.

Thanks to Torah, Jews have never forgotten is that freedom is a never-ending effort of education in which parents, teachers, homes and schools are all partners in the dialogue between the generations. Learning, Talmud Torah, is the very foundation of Judaism, the guardian of our heritage and hope. That is why, when tradition conferred on Moses the greatest honour was it did not call him ‘our hero’, ‘our prophet’ or ‘our king’. It called him simply, Moshe Rabbenu, Moses our teacher the one that taught us how to come closer to HaShem.

Bibliography

Wolbe, S (1999) Planting and Building – Raising a Jewish Child, Feldheim Publisher - Jerusalem

Talmud tractate Bava Bathra 21a

Parik, A - Jewish Education - Pedagogical Museum of J. A. Comenius, Valdstejnska 20, Prague 1

Dunbar, C (2004) Best Practice in Classroom Management, College of Education, Michigan State University pg. 10

F. A Sava (2001) Cause and effects of teacher conflict-inducing attitudes towards pupils: A path analysis model.

Shulman, A (2011) Shaping Eternity, Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation – Feldheim Publications

Coopersmith Y (2005) The Eye of a Needle, Aish HaTorah Kiruv Primer – Targum Press. Inc and Feldheim Publishers

Kelemen, L (2001) To Kindle a Soul, Ancient Wisdom for Modern Parents and Teachers – Targum Press. Inc and Leviathan Press

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[ 1 ]. Wolbe, S (1999) Planting and Building – Raising a Jewish Child, Feldheim Publisher - Jerusalem
[ 2 ]. Tractate Bava Bathra 21a
[ 3 ]. Parik, A: Jewish Education - Pedagogical Museum of J. A. Comenius, Valdstejnska 20, Prague 1
[ 4 ]. Dunbar, C (2004) Best Practice in Classroom Management, College of Education, Michigan State University pg. 10
[ 5 ]. A response for to the doubts faced by non-observant Jews.
[ 6 ]. Founder of Aish HaTorah and father of today's baal teshuva movement, he established a global network of educational and kiruv (outreach) programs for unaffiliated Jewish men and women.
[ 7 ]. Godly Soul
[ 8 ]. Minchas Shemuel
[ 9 ]. Jewish educational institution, that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts primarily the Talmud and Torah study.
[ 10 ]. F. A Sava (2001) Cause and effects of teacher conflict-inducing attitudes towards pupils: A path analysis model.