Why did education occupy such a central place in Jewish culture? What is missing in education today compared to its original Jewish form?
First of all, it is important to be precise. It is not that education was important to us as a nation, but education is what made us into a nation.
What does this mean? About 3,800 years ago, in ancient Babylon, humanity found itself in a kind of world war, as described in the story of the Tower of Babel. People stopped understanding one another and fought among themselves until “half the world fell by the sword” (Pirkei de Rabbi Eliezer, Chapter 24). One wise man decided to investigate why this was happening and how it could be resolved. That was Abraham the Babylonian. He discovered that a single force operates throughout nature, and that the general evolutionary trajectory of nature on the still, vegetative, animate, and human levels aims at the unity of everything and everyone. Accordingly, he taught kindness and love of others.
“Let us make man” is how this educational process is described in the language of the Bible. Its purpose is to elevate a person above their egoistic nature and make them similar to the general force that operates in creation. The quality of this force is love and bestowal, and this was the direction to which Abraham guided everyone who would listen. “Thousands and tens of thousands” gathered around his spiritual idea, as Maimonides writes in the Mishneh Torah, and from them the nation emerged. This was not a natural nation like the nations of the world, but an artificial gathering around an education that builds a unique bond between people, making them connected “as one man with one heart.”
Without this educational foundation, the people of Israel do not exist in any qualitative sense. Therefore, throughout history, education was given tremendous importance among us. There was no child who did not learn to read and write. Everyone devoted their lives to studying sources that explained the correct relationship to the inanimate, vegetative, animate, other human beings, and society as a whole. The worldview founded by Abraham was later elaborated in the Torah of Moses, and the leaders of the nation were educators by their very essence. Our educational texts were passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years. Only in recent centuries did we begin to be influenced by the educational systems of other nations.
Unlike other forms of education, which are naturally accepted as useful life wisdom, original Israeli-Jewish education stands in opposition to the egoistic nature of both the individual and society. Internalizing it requires continuous effort from the moment a person is born until their final day. Moreover, it is unnatural to live according to principles such as “Do not do unto your friend what you hate” or “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It is unnatural to be “all Israel are friends,” “responsible for one another,” or to think about others as you think about yourself. Human egoism constantly opposes such tendencies with desires and thoughts of self-benefit at the expense of others, and this very egoistic nature constantly grows stronger. Therefore, we need to continuously educate ourselves in accordance with that growth, renewing ourselves and advancing.
After the ruin of the Temple, which came about due to unfounded hatred, we entered a long exile among the nations of the world. Wherever we lived, we struggled to preserve at least some part of this educational path. Without it, we would simply have disappeared. Education sustained, strengthened, organized, and enabled us to belong to the same nation even without a state, a common territory, or any formal organization. Parents were judged by the effort they invested in education and were expected to be educators themselves. A family’s educational success defined its standing in society.
Today, as the world has become interconnected and interdependent like a small village, we have reached a volatile situation similar to that of ancient Babylon. Either a world war will break out, or we will precede it with an educational and cultural revolution that brings connection and reconciliation between people. Moreover, since our nation was once founded on such principles, we have the potential to build upon Abraham’s educational foundation even in today’s modern global climate.
It is true that we have been disconnected from this foundation for generations, and therefore Israel does not serve as an example of life based on love. It is painful to see the growing divisions and intensifying hatred. Nevertheless, we have the ability to reconnect with the original wisdom of Israel and bring light into the darkness, to give birth together to a new human being and a new humanity.
Let us set aside the arguments between religious and secular Jews and return to our original roots. The word “Jew” (Yehudi) derives from yichud, which means unity, and specifically unity above differences. Moreover “Israel” is a directional call that comes from two words, “Yashar El” (straight to God), or in other words, directly to the force of love and bestowal that exists at the foundation of creation. The complete human being devotes every moment of existence to examining how they can realize themselves through love of others, toward the inanimate, vegetative, animate, fellow human beings, humanity as a whole, and the general force of nature. Love for all, or universal love, is the purpose of the nation’s original education.
The most important point of all is that education is conveyed through example, i.e., education is the creation of an atmosphere. From the moment a baby is born, they should feel that the air around them is filled with a desire and intention that is aimed at loving other people. They should sense that everyone around them acts out of concern for others. From every glance and every movement, they learn, they absorb the spirit and intention that surrounds them. Although the egoistic force will naturally grow within them, the educational and cultural environment will show them how to use it for the benefit of society. This is how, together, we will elevate ourselves to the level of the upper force in nature, which is a force of love. The Hebrew word “Adam” (human being), which comes from the phrase “I will be similar to the Most High” (Adameh La’Elyon), points precisely to this aspiration. I wish us all success in this endeavor.
Based on “New Life 191 – The Foundations Of Education In Jewish Culture, Part 1” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.