No Holds Barred Education
Our youth is more receptive today to the message of Judaism, particularly its spiritual and mystical dimension. Our youth’s rebelliousness is an asset and a blessing if channeled into rebelling against the spiritual status-quo.
We Should Give our Children more Credit
How many times did we hesitate to teach our children about some aspect of Judaism because we felt they were not sophisticated enough to comprehend it? How often do we miscalculate the capacity of our youth to absorb and accept?
Before we make such hasty judgments we should be reminded of the exhortation of our sages (Pirkei Avos 1:1): “Be deliberate in judgment.” This directive is geared not only to judges, but to parents and teachers as well. To these pivotal individuals, who are entrusted with the lives of our children, G-d says: “Don’t underestimate the power of a child. They are capable of appreciating much more than we give them credit for?”
Indeed, this lesson is underscored in the beginning of this week’s Torah portion.
Introducing the laws of impurity as it relates to a Kohain, the Torah says: “Speak to the Kohanim, the children of Aaron, and say to them…” Why the repetitive expression: “Speak to..” and “say to them?”
The Talmud, cited by Rashi, explains that in addition to Moses being required to teach this commandment to the elders – the elders were admonished to impart their lesson to the younger generation. Not only did Moses have to “speak to the Kohanim” – he had to make sure that the Kohanim were ready and willing to “say to them,” educate the next generation with the same ideals and knowledge.
From this and two other areas of law – the prohibition against consuming blood and the prohibition against eating insects – the Talmud deduces that there is a general principle that for every mitzvah the older generation is required to admonish the younger generation.
What do Impurity, Blood and Insects have in Common?
A question begs to be asked: Why did the Torah choose these three areas of law in particular to impart this important lesson concerning Jewish education? What is so unique about the mitzvah of a Kohain avoiding ritual impurity, non-consumption of blood and insects?
The Rebbe explains that purity and impurity – in the ritual sense rather than in the hygienic sense – cannot be comprehended rationally. No microscope can detect anything wrong with a substance which the Torah says is ritually impure - tamei. Yet, the Torah requires of us to deal with it as a most formidable obstacle.
This commandment, and, others like it, which appear to have no rational basis, we often tend to think the young are not ready to accept. Don’t our youth want an explanation for everything? Let’s wait until they mature and then they can appreciate the more mystical and supra-rational aspects of Judaism.
To dispel this misconception, the Torah singled out this supra-rational mitzvah dealing with the laws of impurity and how it affects the Kohain, to teach us how we should indeed teach these aspects of Judaism to children. On the contrary, a child is most capable of comprehending the significance of faith and accepting that there is something beyond our limited minds. The purity and innocence of our children is expressive of a greater connection to G-d, who is, of course, unfathomable.
The question persists. Why did the Torah then repeat this lesson in yet two other areas?
The Challenge of Temptation and Rebelliousness
Consumption of blood was considered a delicacy in those days. Conversely, eating insects is an act of rebelliousness. Where temptation and rebelliousness are concerned, one might have thought that we ought not try to dissuade the young. How can we control the temptation of a young person, whose passions are unbridled? How can we ever expect to set a rebellious child straight?
The Torah thus teaches us again and again that there is no subject that is off limits to the young. When we admonish them with light (the Hebrew word for admonish “Lehazhir” also has the meaning of “bringing light”), with sincerity and dedication, we can get through any message.
We are living in unique times. All of the three challenges have beset our society. We are living in the age of science and reason on the one hand and hedonism and rebelliousness on the other hand.
One would be tempted to think that we cannot get through to the youth with the non-rational aspects of Judaism. Likewise, we may feel the futility in reaching those who are immersed in worldly pleasures and especially those who are rebellious against authority and religion.
The lesson of this week’s parsha is that notwithstanding the obstacles everyone can be reached and brought closet to Judaism.
In truth, the very vices of our youth are also opportunities. Rebelliousness can be used to rebel against the establishment that is cold and indifferent to G-d and on the limits rationality can place on an individual’s spiritual growth. .
Temptation can be channeled into immersion into the delight and sheer pleasure of Torah study.
And the rational mind can be harnessed to explore the cool and rigorous logic and meet the intellectual challenge of Talmud and Jewish philosophy.
All this is particularly true in the current era as we “stand on the threshold of Redemption.” The Messianic Age is a time noted for the enhanced status of youth. As a preparation for this era, we can expect more of our youth than ever before.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Emor by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
