religions Article Holiness and Imitatio Dei: A Jewish Perspective on the Sanctity of Teaching and Learning Isaac Calvert McKay School of Education, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA;
[email protected] Abstract: Research in Jewish studies as well as key passages from Judaism’s sacred texts describe teaching and learning as being among the most important, efficacious and sacred of God’s command- ments. However, while this description is well-documented, the specific dynamics of education’s role within a framework of Judaic holiness remains underexplored. This article first lays a thorough foundation of Judaic sanctity, illustrating a theistic axiom at its core surrounded by several peripheral elements, including connection to God, knowledge of God, holiness as invitation, reciprocal holiness, awakening sacred potentiality and, as the purpose and apex of the entire system, imitatio dei. Having illustrated imitatio dei as a culminating purpose atop the entire system of Judaic holiness, I describe how teaching and learning as prescribed in sacred Jewish texts can be a potent means of achieving this end. Considering that teaching and learning are called kaneged kulam, or equal to all the other commandments of Judaism combined, I argue that education conducted in sacred ways prescribed by Jewish scripture can be considered among Judaism’s most sacred commandments, as well as a most efficacious means of realizing imitatio dei within a Jewish frame. Keywords: holiness; sacred education; religious education; Jewish studies; Judaism; imitatio dei 1. Introduction Citation: Calvert, Isaac. 2021. Within the corpus of Judaism’s 613 laws, teaching and learning are not described Holiness and Imitatio Dei: A Jewish as just another commandment made sacred by virtue of a connection to God as its au- Perspective on the Sanctity of thor, but as kaneged kulam, equal in importance, power and sanctity to all the other com- Teaching and Learning.