Parshas Re’eh

A MUST-READ For All Teachers and Parents!

 

“You are the children of Hashem, Your G-D…” (Devarim 14:1)

Rabbi Eliezer learns from psukim in the Torah that a teacher should teach the lessons to his students, as much as four times. The Talmud (Eruvin 54B) continues to tell us about a Rabbi who showed extreme patience. Rabbi Perida had a certain student who was a weak learner. As a result, he always taught the lesson four hundred times until the student would understand. One day, someone came and asked Rabbi Perida to be involved in a particular mitzvah as soon as he would complete his lesson. Rabbi Perida taught his student four hundred times as usual, but this time the student did not successfully learn the material. Rabbi Perida asked him why this time was different. Why didn’t he grasp the lesson? The student replied that when he heard that Rabbi Perida was needed after the shiur, his mind was distracted from the lesson. Every moment, he was thinking that Rabbi Perida was about to leave and would not be able to finish the lesson. Rabbi Perida calmed the student and said that he was going to reteach the lesson right away and was not going to leave until he completed the lesson. Rabbi Perida then retaught the lesson an additional four hundred times!

One Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Neiman z”l, Rosh Yeshiva of Or Yisrael Yeshiva in Petach Tikva, visited Rabbi Moshe Rosenstein z”l, the mashgiach of the Lomze Yeshiva. Rabbi Rosenstein was in the middle of testing a boy, from his yeshiva, in Chumash. Rabbi Neiman was curious and asked whose child this was. Rabbi Rosenstein responded that the child was Hashem’s child!

Rabbi Neiman was impressed with this answer. He wrote in his sefer, Darchei Mussar, that this is a very important lesson for everyone who teaches children. The educator must always be aware that he is teaching Torah to the child of the King of Kings, Hashem. With this thought constantly in mind, the educator will be imbued with more patience and more love towards the children. Rav Neiman felt that such patience as Rav Perida had shown must have resulted from his feeling that he was teaching the children of Hashem. (Yalkut Lekach Tov by Rabbi Yaakov Yisroel Beifus)

The Talmud (Eruvin 54B) continues that due to the merit of Rabbi Perida’s great devotion to his students, a Divine Voice emerged and said that he would merit an excessively long life. [He actually was given the choice for four hundred years to be added to his life, or that he and the rest of his generation would merit the World-to-Come. He preferred the latter. Hashem rewarded him with both]

In his commentary, Ben Yehoyada, the Ben Ish Chai zt”l explains that this special reward was not for Rabbi Perida’s daily patience. Rather, Rabbi Perida was rewarded specifically for this one time. Why? It would have been totally normal for Rabbi Perida to feel anger or resentment. Most people would become upset if their effort of teaching a lesson so many times had been totally wasted. Not only did Rabbi Perida not feel anger, but when he repeated the lesson another 400 times, he did so with a with joy that even radiated to his face.

The Alter of Slabodka, Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel zt”l saw that one of his students was not having success in his learning. The Alter fasted and davened for his student to succeed.

The Talmud (Shabbos 119B) quotes Rav Yehuda in the name of Rav, “What is the meaning of that which is written (Tehillim 105:15) ‘Do not touch My anointed ones and do My prophets no harm” (16:22)? ‘Do not touch My anointed ones,’ refers to the schoolchildren, who are as precious and important as kings and priests (Maharsha), ‘and do not harm My prophets,’ refer to the Torah scholars. Reish Lakish said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi that the world only exists because of the Torah learned by schoolchildren. And Reish Lakish said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda Nesia that one may not interrupt schoolchildren from studying Torah, even to build the Temple!”

Rav Avraham Pam zt”l asks (Messages from Rav Pam by Rabbi Sholom Smith) what if one is a teacher or a mechanech who devoted much time and energy into a student and was not successful? One would likely feel discouraged, as if one’s efforts were all wasted. To answer that, Rav Pam has a message from this week’s parsha. (Devarim 13:7,11)

There is a severe punishment to one who tried to persuade someone else to worship other gods. The Torah tells us not to show him compassion and not to look for legal loopholes to save him from the death penalty of stoning. The Alter of Kelm zt”l learns an important lesson from this. This person is punished solely for his efforts. Even if he was unsuccessful in his persuasion, he is still punished severely! How much more we can expect Hashem to reward us for our efforts of trying to bring a Jew closer to Hashem! Hashem will reward the teacher for his efforts, even if, through no fault of his own, he is unsuccessful. Furthermore, says Rav Pam, a person does not know the long-range result of his efforts. The teacher planted and watered a seed. It may take a long time before something grows. Be’ezras Hashem, when it does, it will be evident that his efforts WERE successful!

A very important message to educators and to parents is that the children whom we guide and teach are also Hashem’s children. If we can absorb that message, we will be more patient and more understanding. Also, we should not become discouraged if it seems as if our efforts were wasted. Sometimes, it takes time before our efforts are realized. G-D willing, we may yet see the beautiful fruits of our labors!