Yitro – Waves of Education

By Rabbi Ezra Friedman

John Dewey once said, “Education is not preparation for life, it is life itself”. The Torah is not just a book of laws educating us about what to do in life; Torah is life itself. When reading and studying the gamut of Torah (Bible, Midrash, Jewish philosophy and Talmud), an axiom must be that the Torah has the depth and breadth to teach life lessons beyond what is written in black and white. We can learn so much from the way verses were written and the examples given by our Sages. Perhaps this is what our Sages meant when they said that the Torah is thousands of times bigger than the Earth itself (Talmud, Eruvin). The message is that we can take the knowledge of Torah and use it in limitless areas of life. In this article, we will try to show how we can learn eternal lessons from the simple written style of the Torah.

The Ten Commandments are one of the most important parts of Torah. Not only the laws written in them,  but rather the entire episode on the Mountain of Sinai is to be passed down from generation to generation. It is a prohibition to forget that crucial moment in history. When studying the Ten Commandments we must ask ourselves; what is the importance behind these specific commandments? In addition, many of these commandments are discussed later in the Bible in a more detailed fashion. Would it not be more fitting to explain the entire scope of these commandments at this juncture?

The Ten Commandments are essential in Judaism. However, the timing and setting of their revelation and what came afterwards, have some powerful lessons. The Ten Commandments were given first. Subsequently, the Torah in Parashat Teruma discusses the laws of the Tabernacle and then in Parashat Ki Tisa, the Torah mentions again the laws of Shabbat. The Torah, throughout the three final books of Chumash, expounds on the Ten Commandments, along with other laws. The Ten Commandments are the ID of the Jewish people. They represent the most basic foundations of being a Jew. Rav Sa’adia Gaon wrote an entire book proving that all 613 Mitzvot are found in the Ten Commandments.

Am Yisrael needed to hear those commandments first, as they had to be able to understand their most basic identity. It is very hard to connect to and internalize 613 commandments all at once. Am Yisrael needed to connect to the tangible and concise message of the Torah. Afterwards, many of the laws written in the Torah are those of great holiness, including the building of the Tabernacle and the eventual Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The Mitzvah of Aliyah Laregel (experiencing the glory of Hashem during the three festivals) is also a commandment of heightened holiness.

The second phase is to show the power and holiness of the Torah and the aspects that can make a person realize the glory that keeping Torah can bring. Only afterwards does the Torah return to discuss the details of the Ten Commandments, such as Shabbat and immoral activity. After getting their identity card and seeing the intensity of Torah, Am Yisrael can now sit down and discuss the details of a Jew’s life, including the most basic and seemingly mundane aspects of it. To summarize, the chronological order of the Torah’s teaching of these Mitzvot can teach a methodology of educating Jews in the tenets of Judaism. First, a Jew must internalize his identity. Only then can he comprehend the levels of holiness that Judaism can bring one to and return to learn and value all of the intricacies of Judaism.

This idea can be utilized in many different aspects of education. When teaching children values, it is important to make them feel that these values are not foreign to them, but rather that they represent the essence of who they are as a human beings. For example, in regard to honesty, it is important to first teach a child how being honest at all costs can change their futures. They can learn that being truthful no matter the consequences, will help mold their person. After a child realizes this, the next stage is making him comprehend the rewards of being honest. This can help him better connect to this value and grasp its importance. Finally, once the seeds have been planted, the real education can begin.

Education is not a simple task. It is probably the most difficult part of a parent or teacher’s job. We must be open to diverse and creative styles of education in order to choose the appropriate approach for each and every child/student. The Torah has many lessons for modern practical education. Let us all sit down and immerse ourselves in understanding every facet of our Torah. With this perspective, the values we wish to pass on will stay eternal.