The World According to הַעֲמִידוּ תַלְמִידִים הַרְבֵּה – The Educational Process Daniel Goldfarb, the Conservative Yeshiva, Jerusalem www.conservativeyeshiva.org / [email protected]

הַעֲמִידוּ תַלְמִידִים הַרְבֵּה - students many Raising 1:1 Avot Pirkei Moses received from Sinai, and passed it on to Joshua; and Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the .( ְ אַ נְשֵׁ י כְ נֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה) Assembly Great the of men to on it passed prophets the and prophets; הֵם אָמְרוּ שׁלֹשָׁ ה דבָרִים: הֱווּ מתוּנִים בַּדִּין, והַעֲמִידוּ תַלְמִידִים הַרְבֵּה, וַעֲשׂוּ סיָג לַתּוֹרָה: :things three said They Be deliberate in judging; raise up (educate) many students; make a fence around the Torah.

The Early Yeshivot - Pirkei Avot 1:4 Yose ben Yoezer (around 200-150 BC) used to say: let your house be a house of meeting for the Sages .thirst with words their in drink and feet, their of dust very the in sit and (יְהִי בֵיתְךָ בֵית וַעַד לַחֲכָמִים) Bavli, Brachot 28a Admissions Policy It was taught: On that day (when Rabban Gamliel was deposed) the doorkeeper to the Beth was removed and students were allowed to enter freely. For Rabban had issued a proclamation saying: .Midrash Beth the enter may (שאין תוכו כברו) exterior his to correspond not does character whose disciple No That day many stools were added, some say 400, others 700. Rabban Gamaliel became alarmed and said: Perhaps, God forbid, I withheld Torah from Israel!

The Learning Toolbox - Pirkei Avot 1:6 יהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פּרַחְיָה אוֹמֵר: עֲשֵׂה לךָ רַב, וּקְנֵה לךָ חָבֵר, וֶהֱוֵי דָן אֶת כּל הָאָדָם לכַף זכוּת. Joshua ben P’rahiah would say: make for yourself a teacher, and acquire for yourself a (study) companion…

The Right Stuff: for the Good Student and the Good Teacher - Pirkei Avot 2:6 הוּא (הלל) הָיָה אוֹמֵר: ...ולֹא הַבַּיְשָׁן לָמֵד, ולֹא הַקַּפּדָן מלַמֵּד... He (Hillel) would say:… a shy person cannot learn, nor can an impatient person teach;

The Challenges facing the Student - Pirkei Avot 4:18 רַ ' נהוֹרַאי אוֹמֵר: הֱוֵי גוֹלֶה לִמְקוֹם תּוֹרָה ואַל תֹּאמַר שֶׁהִיא תָבוֹא אַחֲרֶיך, שֶׁחֲבֵרֶיךָ יקַיּמוּהָ ביָדֶךָ "ואֶל בִּינָתְךָ אַל תִּשָּׁעֵן": Rabbi Nehorai said: Exile yourself to a place of Torah, don’t expect that it will come to you or that through your companions it will become part of you; and “Do not rely on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5).

Dangers the Potential Student should be aware of (and the reward for one who heeds the advice) הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר:... ואַל תֹּאמַר: לִכְשֶׁאֶפָּנֶה אֶשְׁנֶה, שֶׁמָּא לֹא תִפָּנֶה: 2:5 Hillel would say:…Don’t say: 'I shall study when I have free time;” perhaps you will not have free time. occupy and activity business your Limit said: Meir Rabbi - רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי מְמַעֵט בְּעֵסֶק, וַעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה 4:12 yourself with the Torah… ואִ ם בָּ טַ לְתָּ מִ ן הַ תּוֹרָ ה יֶ שׁ לָ ךְ בּטֵלִים הַ רְ בֵּ ה כּ נֶגְדָּךְ, ואִ ם עָמַ לְתָּ בַּ תּוֹרָ ה יֶ שׁ לוֹ שָׂ כָ ר הַ רְ בֵּ ה לִ תֶּן לָךְ: If you neglect the study of Torah, you will have many excuses/distractions to neglect it; but if you labor at the study of Torah, He has much reward to give for you.

Instructions to the Teacher (beyond Hillel's directive (2:6 above) 1:11 Avtalion said: Sages, be careful with your words, lest you be penalized with exile to a place of evil waters, and the disciples who follow you drink and die, and thus the name of heaven becomes profaned. 4:16 Rabbi Judah said: be careful in teaching; an error in teaching counts as an intentional sin. 2:5 Hillel said: Do not say something that cannot be understood, trusting that in the end it will be understood.

is [וְהַגַּס לִבּוֹ בַהוֹרָאָה] decisions/instruction in over-confident is who One said: son his Ishmael Rabbi 4:9 .[ שׁ וֹטֶ ה רָשָׁ ע וְגַ ס רוּחַ ] arrogant and wicked foolish,

What is the Essence of the Educational Process? Pirkei Avot 2:10-12 Rabban* Yochanan ben Zakkai had five (leading) students: R’ Eliezer ben Hurkenus, R’ Joshua bn Chananya, R’ Yossei Ha’Kohen, Rabbi Shimon ben Nethanel, and R’ Elazar ben Arach. He would recount their praises: ben Joshua R’ drop; loses never that cistern sealed a ,בּוֹר סוּד שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְאַבֵּד טִפָּה Hurkenus ben Eliezer R’ ;(one pious (a chassid -a Ha’Kohen Yossei R’ him; to birth gave who she is fortunate ,אַשְׁרֵי יוֹלַדְתּוֹ Chananya .spring over-flowing an ,מַעְיָן הַמִּתְגַּבֵּר Arach ben Elazar R’ sin; fears יְרֵא חֵטְא Nethanel ben Shimon R’

[Rabbi Yochanan] said: If all the sages of Israel were on one side of a scale, and Eliezer ben Hurkenus on the other, he would outweigh them all. Abba Shaul said in his name: If all the sages of Israel, including Eliezer ben Hurkenus, were on one side, and Elazar ben Arach were on the other, he would outweigh them all. .cleave should one which to way right the is which see and out Go –אָמַר לָהֶם: צאוּ וּרְאוּ – ((2:13 method His*

Findings from Life about Education - Is Age a factor? For the Student 4:25 said: He who learns when young is like ink written upon a new piece of paper. And he who learns when old is like ink written on a rubbed-out paper. For the Teacher – Two Views 4:26 Rabbi Yose bar Judah of Kfar Ha-bavli said: Learning from young teachers is like eating unripe grapes or drinking wine straight from the vat; learning from the old is like eating ripe grapes or drinking aged wine. :אַל תִּסְתַּכֵּל בַּקַּנְקַן אֶלָּא בּמַה שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ it in what’s at but container the at look don’t said: Meir) R’ (or Rebbe 4:27 there can be a new container full of old wine, and an old [container] in which there is not even new [wine].

Is Money a Factor? 4:11 said: whoever fulfills the Torah when poor will in the end fulfill it in wealth; And whoever neglects the Torah when wealthy will eventually neglect it when poor. פַּת בַּמֶּלַח תֹּאכֵל, וּמַיִם בַּמְּשׂוּרָה תִּשְׁתֶּה, וְעַל הָאָרֶץ תִּישָׁ ן, וְחַ יֵּ י צַעַ ר תִּחְ יֶ ה, וּבַ תּוֹרָ ה אַתָּ ה עָ מֵל :Torah of way the is This 6:4 eat bread with salt, ration the water you drink, sleep on the ground, live a life of privation, and labor in the study of Torah. If you do this, "Happy shall you be" - in this world, "and it shall be good for you" - in the world to come (Psalms 128:2). 6:8 R’ Shimon ben Menasya said in the name of R’ Shimon ben Yohai: 1) Beauty, 2) strength, 3) riches the for and righteous the for fitting are children 8) and hair, gray 7) age, old 6) wisdom, 5) honor, (4 ,ְהָעֹשֶׁר world.

What Teachers know about Students in General :students of types four are There - אַרְבַּע מִדּוֹת בַּתַּלְמִידִים 4:14 ;יָצָא שְׂכָרוֹ בְהֶפְסֵדוֹ - loss his in disappears gain his forget: to quick and comprehend, to Quick (1 ;יָצָא הֶפְסֵדוֹ בִשְׂכָרוֹ - gain his in disappears loss his forget: to slow and comprehend, to Slow (2 (זֶה חֵלֶק טוב -lot happy a is (his or ;חָכָם - man wise a is he forget: to slow and comprehend, to Quick (3 .זֶה חֵלֶק רָע - lot sad a is his forget, to quick and comprehend, to Slow (4 אַרְבַּע מִדּוֹת בְּיוֹשְׁבִים לִפְנֵי חֲכָמִים: סְפוֹג , וּמַשְׁפֵּךְ, מְשַׁמֶּרֶת, וְנָפָה. 4:17 There are four types among those who sit before the sages: a sponge, a funnel, a strainer and a sieve. 1) A sponge, soaks up everything; 2) A funnel, takes in at one end and lets out at the other; 3) A strainer, which lets out the wine and retains the lees; 4) A sieve, which lets out the coarse meal and retains the choice flour.

How learning leads to Widsom – Pirkei Avot 4:1 - .man every from learns who He wise? is Who said: Zoma Ben בֶּן זוֹמָא אוֹמֵר: אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם.

How many teachers are there like this? Pirkei Avot 4:15 Rabbi Elazar ben Shammua said: let your student’s honor of be as dear to you as your own, and your colleague’s honor be like the reverence due your teacher, and the reverence you have for your teacher be like the reverence due to Heaven.

December 2015