ChabadNewOrleans Blog

This morning I had the pleasure of participating in a unique ceremony. In Hebrew it is called “hachnasa l’cheder” – initiation of a child into Jewish education. There were a group of little boys who had recently had their first haircut, who were being introduced into the formal Jewish schooling. Now these kids have been in school for years, but this ceremony utilizes several rituals to impress upon the child the sweetness and goodness of Torah learning. We place honey onto the Alef Bet, which they lick and read. They read certain verses off a honey cake and eat it. Finally, they are showered with candy that “comes from” the Angel Michael, who rejoices in their accomplishments.

Some might accuse us of engaging in indoctrination of young minds into things that they cannot yet fully grasp. They argue that we should let the children grow up a bit before exposing them to religious doctrines so they can choose for themselves whether they want it. Seems like we are bribing three year old kids with honey and candy so that they associate Torah with enjoyment.

To which I say, first of all, I could think of worse things to be imparting to little kids than a love of Torah. How tragic is it that if they associate morals, kindness, and holiness, with a fun time? Imagine how terrible it would be if a generation of kids grew up believing the absurd notion that G-d actually cares about them not killing, stealing, lying and cheating. What an awful world it would be with no juvenile perpetrators of crime… How unfortunate to have children growing up with imaginary heroes like Abraham and Sarah, Moses and King David, instead of those real-life heroes like Sponge Bob and the Ninja Turtles. Let’s not forget Harry Potter and Wonder Woman (after all she is now Israeli...).

But to the heart of the matter, there is a much deeper way of understanding this idea. Indoctrination implies super-imposing something upon someone, which they did not posses previously. Kids are not born with political or societal biases. Imposing a political or societal viewpoint upon a child would be a form of indoctrination (and still I believe that parents have a right and imperative to educate their children in that form).

However, parents impressing upon their child that they are human is not indoctrination. It is simply acquainting them with the reality of who they are. Nothing wrong with telling a kid that they have blue eyes or brown hair.

For a Jewish child, learning about G-d and Torah, is simply acquainting them with their reality. Our Neshamas are who we are. It is not separate from the essence of who we are. Therefore, introducing a child, even at a very young age, to the beauty of Torah and Judaism, is simply putting them in touch with who they are. The sooner they are aware of their identity and reality, the more successful humans and Jews they will be; and the better off they will be for the rest of society.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

I did my civic duty this month by showing up for jury duty. Yesterday was my last of the four days assigned to me. Just before noon, 50 of us were called into a courtroom for a jury selection process called “Voir dire.” The process had been going on all week and they were having a hard time finding the jurors they needed to begin the trial. It was unique in that there were three defendants, each with his own defense team. We watched as the group before us completed their voir dire, leaving a void of six jurors that needed to be filled by members of our group. Shortly after 2 pm, the prosecution began their presentation. By the time the third of the three defense attorneys got up to do his shpiel, it was already 6 pm. Knowing that there was a long road ahead of us, a few people in the group started to grumble about how late it was.

The attorney realized that he needed to get people to focus and take the process seriously, so he used the following tactic. He started addressing some of the grumbling folks and asked them if they had children. “Imagine,” he said, “if your child was taken into custody for something they hadn’t done, and the court was in the process of jury selection to ensure that they got a fair shake at justice. Would you want them to hurry up through the process because it was late and people were getting tired, hungry, and impatient? Or would you want the attorney to take his time and get the best possible group of jurors for a fair trial? Of course, for your child, you would want every effort exerted on his behalf. Well, you need to see that the same is done for the folks in this trial.”

This caused me to reflect on an idea that I heard as a young Yeshiva student. In the original Chabad Yeshiva in the town of Lubavitch, the youngest group of boys (after Bar Mitzvah) were entrusted for mentorship to Reb Michoel Bliner. He was an elderly chasid whose very presence was a valuable lesson for the boys in how to be a Jew and a chasid.

He would begin his first lesson each year with the following story. A simple villager received a letter with important information. Being illiterate, he brought the letter to the melamed (teacher), who the villagers hired to educate their children. As the melamed read the letter, the villager fainted. It contained the news of his father’s passing. Reb Michoel would ask the boys, “why didn’t the melamed, who had firsthand knowledge of the letter’s contents, faint, while the villager, who heard it secondhand, fainted?” He answered, “because it was the villager’s father.” He would then declare to the group of 13-year-old boys, “when you study Chassidus, you must approach it as if we are speaking of your own father (Hashem).” Only when you are personally invested in the subject matter, will there be the capacity for real impact.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin