What is the Secret Sauce of Inspiring Educators? KYHS In-Service 1 Marcheshvan 5777 - November 1, 2016

(4) Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. (5) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (6) Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. (7) Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. (8) Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead; (9) inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

(18) Therefore impress these My words upon your very heart: bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead, (19) and teach them to your children—reciting them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up; (20) and inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates— (21) to the end that you and your children may endure, in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to assign to them, as long as there is a heaven over the earth.

(7) לבניך [AND THOU SHALT TEACH THEM DILIGENTLY] UNTO THY CHILDREN - These are the disciples. Everywhere do we find that disciples are termed children, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 14:1) “Ye are children of the Lord your God”... And even as disciples are termed “children," so the teacher is termed "father," as it is said, (2 Kings 2:12) that Elisha referred to his teacher Elijah by the words, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, etc."

The 11th mitzvah is that we are commanded to study and to teach the wisdom of Torah. This is called Talmud Torah.

The source of this commandment is God's statement, "Teach them to your children."

The Sifri says, "The phrase, 'Teach them to your children,' refers to your students. One similarly finds all over that students are called children, as it is written, 'And the children [i.e. the students] of the prophets went out.'"

Our Sages also said there, "The word, 'Teach them,' signifies that they should be sharp in your mouth; that when someone asks you something, you should not stammer, but rather answer him immediately."

(1) Women and slaves are exempt from studying Torah. But a male minor - his father is obligated to teach him Torah, as it says, "And you shall teach them to your children, to speak in them" (Deut 11:19). Women are not obligated to teach their sons, for [only] all who are obligated to study are obligated to teach.

(2) Just as a person is obligated to teach his son, so too he is obligated to teach his grandson, as it says, "And make them known to your children, and to your children's children" (Deut 4:9). And not just his son and his grandson: rather, there is a command upon each and every wise-man [heb. chacham] in Israel to teach all students, even though they are not his children. As it says, "And you shall tutor them to your children" (Deut 6:7) - from an [Oral] Tradition they learned that "your children" [here] refers to your students, for students can be called children, as in "And the children of the prophets left" (I Kings 2:3). If so, why was it [i.e. the obligation to teach] commanded in regard to a son and grandson? To give priority to a son over a grandson, and a grandson over the son of a friend.

(8) Every Jew is obligated to learn Torah: whether he is poor or rich; whether he has a full and healthy body or whether he is a person who is suffering; whether he is young or whether he is very old and his strength is weak; even if he is a poor man who supports himself from charity and knocks on each door; and even if he is a husband of a wife and children. He is obligated to have a set time to learn Torah [both] during the day and the night as it is written "You shall think about it day and night."

(6) — What is the “love” that is here commanded? The next verse tells us: והיו הדברים האלה THESE WORDS [WHICH I COMMAND THEE] SHALL BE [UPON THINE HEART] — for thereby thou wilt arrive at a recognition of the Holy One, blessed be He, and wilt cleave to His ways (Siphre).

The 3rd mitzva is that we are commanded to love G‑d (exalted be He), i.e. to meditate upon and closely examine His mitzvos, His commandments, and His works, in order to understand Him; and through this understanding to achieve a feeling of ecstasy. This is the goal of the commandment to love G‑d.

[We can see that meditation is the way to create this feeling of love1 from] the Sifri: "From the statement, 'You shall love G‑d your Lord', can I know how to love G‑d? The Torah therefore says, 'and these words which I command you today shall be upon your heart'; i.e. that through this [meditation about His commandments] you will understand the nature of 'the One Who spoke, and thereby brought the world into being.' "

From this it is clear that meditation will lead to understanding, and then a feeling of enjoyment and love will follow automatically [since the second verse explains the way to reach the goal of the previous verse.]

Our Sages also said that this mitzvah includes calling out to all mankind to serve G‑d (exalted be He) and to believe in Him. This is because when you love a person, for example, you praise him and call out to others to draw close to him. So too, if you truly love G‑d — through your understanding and realization of His true existence — you will certainly spread this true knowledge that you know to the ignorant and the foolish.

[We see that this mitzvah includes spreading love for G‑d to others from] the Sifri: " 'You shall love G‑d,' i.e. make Him beloved among the creatures as your father Avraham did, as it is written, 'The souls that he made in Charan.'"

The meaning of this Sifri: Avraham, as a result of his deep understanding of G‑d, acquired love for G‑d, as the verse testifies, "Avraham, who loved Me"5. This powerful love therefore caused him to call out to all mankind to believe in G‑d. So too, you shall love Him to the extent that you draw others to Him.

(6) אשר אנכי מצוך היום [THESE WORDS] WHICH I COMMAND THEE THIS DAY — this day— they should not be in thine eyes as an antiquated דיוטגמא which no one minds, but as one newly given which everyone gladly welcomes (Siphre; cf. our first Note on p. 248 in this edition of Exodus). — The word דיוטגמא in this Midrash signifies a royal command committed to writing.