HaShoneh Halachos for Sun, Oct 4, 2015

87. The Teacher’s Responsibilities 87. The Teacher’s ResponsibilitiesHaShoneh Halachos for Sunday, October 4, 2015 Talmud Torah 2:2 Children should be brought to a teacher at age six or seven, depending on the child’s individual development; children younger than six should not be brought. A teacher may use physical punishment to direct his students but he may not hit them cruelly, as an enemy would do. For example, he may not use a rod or a staff, just a small strap. [Editor’s note: Do not do this. Even if permitted by traditional halacha, that does not take into account modern sociological factors, as well as civil law.] A teacher should instruct his students all day and for a bit of the night, so that they should learn to study Torah by day and by night. The children should only cease their studies at the end of the day before Shabbos and Festivals, as well as on the Festivals themselves. On Shabbos, students should not begin studying new material; they should review what they already learned. Children should not be interrupted from their studies even to rebuild the Temple. Talmud Torah 2:3 A schoolteacher who leaves his students and goes out, or who stays with them but occupies himself with other work, or who is lazy in his duties, is among those included in “Cursed is one who performs God’s work deceitfully” (Jeremiah 48:10). It is therefore appropriate only to hire a God-fearing teacher who teaches his students carefully and at a quick pace. By Rabbi Jack AbramowitzProvided for informational purposes only. Please contact your rabbi for guidance in matters of practical application.View HaShoneh Halachos 2: Mishneh Torah Index » “Anyone who studies Jewish laws every day can rest assured that he has earned a place in the Next World...”(Talmud Megilla 28b, Niddah 73a) “One who learns in order to teach will be given the ability to learn and to teach but one who learns in order to perform will be given the ability to learn, to teach, to observe and to perform.”(Avos 4:5)   OU.ORG  |  NCSY  |  NJCD  |  OU Kosher   |  JLIC  |  Jewish Action  |  Advocacy  |  OU Job BoardShabbat Shalom  |  OU Press  |  OU Torah  |  OU Israel  |  Synagogue Services   Share this on  Facebook   |   Forward to a friend   |   Unsubscribe