Why not focus on halacha in elementary education?

Question

From the Mishna B'rura's introduction to the rules of Shabas:

…But by what means can we arrive at this level: that one keeps Shabas in all its details? The advice on this is that one urge himself to study the rules of Shabas and to review them always so he knows what's forbidden and what's permitted. Without that, even if he learns all the exhortatory things that urge one to keep Shabas properly, that won't help him.… [Rabbi Yonasan Eybeschutz] already assured us that it is utterly impossible in practice to be saved from committing a Shabas prohibition unless he learns all the rules very well.

I seem to recall a similar idea written about the rules of lashon hara — and, indeed, much the same can be said about many areas of halacha.

Considering that a twelve- or thirteen-year-old is obliged to follow all the details of halacha, it would seem, therefore, to behoove elementary-school teachers to focus on halacha to the extent that their students will retain it. Yet we don't find teachers doing so: halacha is relegated to perhaps four hours a week. Why is this?

Answer 1

The Tur writes in his introduction to Hilchos Shabbos that "all thirty nine Melachos and their Toldos are known, and there is no need [to write about them] at length...."

It also says in the introduction to Siman 80 in Kitzur Shulchan Aruch that "most of the prohibitions of Shabbos are known to most Jews, so only prohibitions that are common and unknown will be written here." so he wrote only some 90 syifim in that siman (the only one dealing with actual hilchos Shabbos). On average that's some two siyifim per melacha. In contrast, the Ktzos Hashulchan (which is a kitzur on Orach Chayim written by R' Avrohom Chaim Noeh, which did include Hilchos Shabbos) has volume 5-9 (that's how far he got before pasing away, so there may have planned on writing more) on Hilchos Shabbos (where only volume 1 and 2 deal with all of Orach Chayim until Hilchos Shabbos).

Answer 2

The method you state is in fact that of earlier times. Consider the Mishna (Avot 5:21) that says:

הוא היה אומר, בן חמש שנים למקרא, בן עשר למשנה, בן שלש עשרה למצות, בן חמש עשרה לתלמוד...‏

What is referred to as "Mishnah" is halacha lema'aseh. "Talmud", (which probably isn't referring to what we know today as the published Talmud,) often means the reasons and details of halacha (see, for example, Rashi Bava Metzia 33a D"H Gemara). "Talmud" was reserved for older students; first they were taught the actual practicable halacha.

Answer 3

Because it's pointless to spend thousands of hours teaching technical laws without first providing a robust framework for why any of it matters. By focusing solely on the trees, you'll lose sight of the forest. Not to mention children have problems focusing on and memorizing on such minutia.