Questions tagged [chinuch-education]
Questions about Jewish education, also known as Chinuch.
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Premature birth contradicting science
I am a teacher at a private all-girls Jewish high school. There are two science teachers in the school, and both of us are Christian. I was talking with my fellow science teacher recently, and she ...
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High School Math in the Talmud
I'm currently tutoring someone in math that has an atitude of "what's the point of all this... why would I ever need this..." (which is typical of many high-schoolers). To try to pique his interest, I ...
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How does one explain God to little kids?
As I understand it, the ability to understand abstract concepts develops gradually in kids and is certainly not all there when they first start having conversations. This comes into play when kids ...
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Why don't most American orthodox Jews send their kids to public school?
Given the benefits of a public school education over private day school education, such as $0 tuition and technology and extra curriculars which many schools do not have, why don't most orthodox ...
user5092
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Formal Logic and Gemara
I've recently tried to fuse my background in programming with my Gemara learning, resulting in what I now call computational gemara. You can read more about the idea here. An older article I wrote ...
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Does a fathers obligation to teach his sons a parnassah extend to his daughters too?
A father has an obligation to teach his sons Torah, a parnassah and to swim. To what extent do these obligations extend to his daughters too?
(edited to include my explanation from the comments)
As ...
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At what age should we start teaching the distinction between Midrash and Text?
At a very early age children learn the history of the world and the Jews through the enthralling stories found in many varied sources.
They learn that the world was created in six days; that ...
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May a Katan (minor) perform Melachah ("work") on Shabbath?
In my experience, I've noticed that many people take for granted that if one needs a Melachah to be performed on Shabbath, one may have a minor, especially one under the age of 3, perform what is ...
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How does Judaism regard homeschooling?
The title quite says it. I'm specifically more interested in unschooling....
It is said in Ktubot, 50a, that:
אמר רב יצחק באושא התקינו שיהא אדם מתגלגל עם בנו עד שתים עשרה שנה מכאן
ואילך יורד עמו ...
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Is participating on a Teacher rating site a violation of Lashon Hara?
There are websites out there (e.g. RateMyProfessors) where students can post information about teachers they had.
Is reading the "reviews" on the site, or writing such a "review", a violation of ...
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Putting Tefillin on Un-educated Jews
May one put tefillin on an uneducated Jew without first explaining to him the laws of keeping his body clean and conveying to him the seriousness of the sanctity of tefillin (is that even possible?)?
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Announcements before אשרי
I am in high school and in the morning my principal makes announcements before אשרי at the end of שחרית. The announcements often have absolutely nothing to do with davening. For example, he will tell ...
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What is the halacha regarding the expulsion of a student deemed a "nuisance student"?
Are there Halachic sources regarding the expulsion of a "nuisance student"? Or Halachic sources of not expelling a "nuisance student"? (Is this issue ever addressed as a real halachic issue?)
Below ...
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How do you explain tzniut to a little girl?
Some Jewish schools have attire guidelines starting in first grade. What is the best way to explain the concept of tzniut to a very young (say first grade) girl without explaining sexuality? Please ...
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Beginners' Seder Advice
I'm going to be at a seder this year with young children who are familiar with the basic structure of the haggadah. Some will likely have some of the classic divrei torah prepared for them to say. I'm ...
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What are the "Mishnah" and "Gemara" referenced in Pirkei Avot 5?
At the end of Pirkei Avot 5, we have a statement (of either Ben Hei Hei or R. Yehuda ben Tema --- I have two siddurim with slightly different texts):
He used to say: at five years of age, the study ...
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Should one make a bracha on food if only a child is eating?
I think it is common to make a bracha (blessing) when giving a small child food so that they learn the common brachot and learn to say "amen". Is this appropriate to do if you are not eating the food ...
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How do you motivate a teen who has no interest in Davening?
Recently I met a 13-year-old who simply has no interest in Davening (praying). What would be a way of motivating such a kid to Daven?
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Rav S.R. Hirsch and fairy tales
There's a famous criticism Rav Hirsch had about fairy tales- I think he was responding to the Grimm Brothers specifically.
He says that reading such stories are very bad chinuch, since it affects our ...
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Did the Egyptians use whips on the Hebrew slaves? Why do we assume so?
It seems like every image I've ever seen drawn (or acted) of the Jews' slavery in Egypt involves them being whipped by Egyptians. The Torah says that the Jewish foremen were stricken as their ...
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Hitting your child as a disciplinary/educational measure - modern opinions
Shemos Rabbah (Shemos parsha 1) and a gemara in Makos (8a) both seem to indicate that physically striking a child/student is a positive thing to do in terms of discipline/education.
My question is: ...
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How were girls educated during the Talmudic era?
According to the Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society's article on Judaism:
Owing to the primacy of ritual in traditional Judaism, instruction of children focused on the ...
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Religiously sensitive guidance on when to tell your child about human reproduction
A boy in cheder who has no internet at home, no tv, etc, is not exposed to human reproduction in the way that others are. It's therefore up to the parents to explain to him how children are born. ...
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Addressing mother as teacher
Children are not supposed to call their parents by their first name because it implies a casual rather than respectful relationship.
My daughter attends the school where my wife is a teacher. The ...
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Can too many decorations render a sukkah invalid?
I've seen some sukkahs (especially ones where they've had big "make sukkah decorations" kids' projects) where there are tons and tons and tons of decorations hanging down from the schach. At what ...
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Is this site for Children? [closed]
A father asked me if this site is appropriate for children considering the fact that oftentimes incorrect answers are being posted. Children are very impressionable and as Chazal tell us, Shabeshtah, ...
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How does an engaged person find a chosson/kallah (pre-marriage) class teacher?
How does an engaged person find a chosson/kallah (pre-marriage) class teacher? Preferably a good one?
Is it "just ask around"? Ask a rabbi? Is there any good way to compare different people, or is ...
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Are there any Synagogues or Rabbis available in Pakistan?
There was once a very thriving Jewish community available in Pakistan. There was a Synagogue in the port city of Karachi as well till 1985.
What is the current situation now? What if someone would ...
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Sources discussing paying for Torah education
I am looking for sources that discuss the idea of paying tuition money ("schar limud") towards obtaining a Torah education. Topics of interest include: The importance of paying tuition for Torah; ...
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Tefillin under Bar Mitzvah
Common practice is that a boy begins wearing Tefillin when he reaches Bar Mitzvah age, or perhaps a month (or three) prior. While there should be an obligation even earlier (under the rubric of ...
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What texts are studied in a traditional yeshiva?
Having never gone to a yeshiva, but having interacted with rabbis and laymen who have, I am unclear on which Jewish texts are studied and which are either not, or which are given a more cursory ...
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Kashrut in the Talmud
I've been speaking with someone about Judaism - what, how, why, etc. We came to the issue of kashrut, and she had a hard time understanding how we got these random laws from the Torah. I explained ...
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Explaining non-Jewish holidays to children?
How should one explain non-Jewish holidays and churches to young children?
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Mitzvot for ketanim?
Are there any mitzvot that kids under bar/bat mitzvah are obligated to keep? (not including for "educational purposes")
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Sources for Jewish Education system today
The western educational system (to the definition of western that includes Japan) today, especially in the United States, but also in other western industrialized countries is an adaptation of the ...
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Permissibility of shortening long Brachot for teaching to children
Many children are old enough to learn short brachot (and somewhat understand them, if explained), but don't have the memory/patience for longer brachot.
Frustratingly, many of the brachot that could ...
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How to make Torah learning inspiring
How does one, as a teacher, make Torah learning inspiring for one's students? Advice on what material to teach is appreciated, but more importantly I want to know how to teach it in a way that ...
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A child's tendency to skip words corrected/prompted by an instructor
When I am helping my young child say Birkat Hamazon or other prayers, I sometimes correct her pronunciation of a word or prompt her when she forgets what the next word is. In these situations, she ...
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Did Depression-era U.S. high-school boys attend Jewish schools? [closed]
I'm reading Chaim Potok's The Chosen and have come across (in chapter 1) the claim that, during the Great Depression, in Brooklyn,
[e]very Orthodox Jew sent his male [high-school-age] children to a ...
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2
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Why can one get paid for teaching written law but not oral law?
In his Sefer Ha-mada (Book of Knowledge, Talmud Torah 1:7), the Rambam says:
Where it is customary to charge a fee for teaching the written Torah, it is permissible to charge a fee for such ...
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How to teach tefilla to small children in a way that makes it meaningful?
Are there any schools of thought or practical methodologies for teaching tefilla to children under the age of 10 who are not native hebrew speakers in a way that is fun, engaging and makes the ...
user5092
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Teaching a child where his dayschool/yeshiva differs
Preface: This is not currently a practical issue, although since it is
not so much about the halachic aspects, answers here would not be
responses to a request for p'sak.
I follow Minhag ...
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Why Moses didn't care for his sons after leaving Egypt?
This bothers me a lot, and I would like to understand Moses' approach to his family as the Torah describes it:
Moses marries Tzipora (which seemingly converts) in Midyan and has two sons (that are ...
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Bracha on breastmilk?
Should a child old enough to make brachos who is not weaned be encouraged to make a bracha on breastmilk? If so which one? Are there any direct sources for this?
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How do you vet a day school?
How do you go about investigating whether a particular day school is best for your kids? I am most interested in the behavior and attitude of the students and the professionalism of the teachers and ...
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Explaining to children why we don't celebrate Halloween
Without delving into the Pagan origins of Halloween (or even discussing it altogether - as it may not be allowed l'halocho), how would you encourage Jewish children who've celebrated Halloween in the ...
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Are there any frum comic books?
I am looking for comic books or graphic novels which depict orthodox Judaism, and teach torah lessons. I am aware of Rabbi Wein's books which are more historical, I'm looking for something that is ...
user6641
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Why do many boys begin learning Gemara with Elu Metzios?
There is a popular custom for boys to start their Gemara studies with Elu Metzios (the 2nd Perek in Bava Metzia).
The Gemara (Bava Basra 175b) does say that financial laws are conducive to becoming ...
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Are women allowed to write a commentary on a book of Tanakh in Orthodox Judaism?
Miryam was a prophetess, and Deborah was a judge. Are women allowed to teach men or to write a commentary on a book of Tanakh according to halakhah?
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From Moshe to Moshe... no one greater?
On Maimonides tomb is written the epitaph: “From Moshe to Moshe, none arose like Moshe!”
We can read in many sources (e.g. http://asknoah.org/essay/rambam) that this implies Rambam was the greatest ...
