DEUT262 See [[DEUT147]] Deuteronomy 5:1 observe DORFFLOV 27-8

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DEUT263 See [[EXOD912]] Exodus 24:7 do DORFFLOV 62-3

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DEUT264 Torah leads to merit and good deeds, for when one occupies himself with Torah and studies the punishment for transgressions and the reward for mitzvos, he resolves to do good. And the labor of Torah makes him forgetful of sin and removes him from it, but idleness attracts sin and brings him down to the pit. Therefore one must be zealous to labor constantly in Torah, day and night, even on the road or when lying in bed. If he is not in a position to do so verbally, he should reflect upon what he has learned, so that his mind is constantly upon his learning and never divorced from it. If he does so, he will have fulfilled (Yehoshua 1:8): "And you shall meditate upon a day and night." It is not written: "You shall speak about it," but, "You shall meditate upon it," meditation taking place in the heart. In this regard it is written [this verse]: "When you sit in your house and when you walk upon the way, and when you lie down, and when you arise." This is what our Rabbis of blessed memory gloried in--that they did not walk four ells without Torah (Megillah 28a), either speaking out what they were studying or reflecting in their hearts upon what they had heard or studied, or concentrating upon their learning. Therefore, set your heart and all of your mind upon Torah at all times and upon all occasions, and you will find life and honor, and you will attain to many fruits in this world and who all of the goodly traits in this world. For through Torah one learns wisdom, fear, proper deportment, humility, modesty, and all good deeds, and Heaven provides his needs (Avodah Zarah 19a) and the Torah guards, raises, and uplifts him.

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DEUT265 Read the Shema twice a day. Hashem wants to give His nation, the Jewish people, the merit of accepting upon themselves, each day, morning and night, His kingship and One-ness. Because man is a physical feature, drawn after his material desires and other foolishness of this world, Hashem in His kindness provides us opportunities to elevate ourselves. One example is this command, whose fulfillment requires us to remember Him and concentrate on the concept of His One-ness, on a regular basis, in the evening and in the morning. Saying Shema in the morning helps us to be careful about our deeds throughout the day, and saying it in the evening instills the same care in us for the whole night.

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DEUT266 Rabbi Akiva said: … a fence to wisdom is silence. Pirkei Avot, Perek III, mishnah 17. … If you have wisdom, protect it with a fence of silence. It has been well said, "The wise man knows what he speaks, but the fool speaks what he knows" (Joseph Hayyim Caro (1800-1895, Minhath Shabbath (commentary on Avoth), Krotoschin 1847, ad loc.). People who do not pause to consider have a natural tendency to blurt out everything they know. More often than not, this is unwise and indiscreet. Often, in the give-and-take of social intercourse and ordinary conversation, it is better not to reveal yourself completely. It is more prudent to remain somewhat a "mystery," somewhat unknown, rather than to be someone that everyone takes for granted. But ultimately, as the wise Solomon says, "there is a season for everything… a time to keep silent and time to speak" Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7). The teaching of our mishnah is well taken in matters of everyday conversation, in our normal social relations. When it comes to Torah, however, another principle applies: "And you shall speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk on the way…" [this verse]. In studying Torah it is necessary to give expression and articulation to thoughts, that they should become clear, and fixed in the memory. Here we should indeed speak up, to fill our tongue and mind and heart with the words of God.

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DEUT271 It is a positive commandment to learn Torah and to teach it as Scripture states, and you shall teach them diligently to your children [this verse]. It is a religious duty that the words of the Torah should be sharp and clear in a person's mouth, and that he should not stammer over them. Whether one is poor or rich, or young or old; whether he is a man laden with suffering, a poor person sustained by charity who makes the rounds knocking on doors for alms -- he is duty-bound to set himself a fixed time for Torah study both by day and at night; for Scripture says, but you shall meditate in it day and night (Yehoshu'a 1:8). And he is duty-bound to study till the day of his death, for Scripture states, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life (D'varim 4:9). A religious duty lies on a father to study [Torah] with his son; he [the son] takes precedence over others. He also has an obligation to study with the son of his son, as Scripture says, and you shall make them known to your children and your children's children (ibid.). From the time a small child begins to speak, his father is to teach from Torah, saying (with him) the verse, Moses commanded us Torah (ibid. 33:4); and he has a duty to hire a teacher for him. A woman is free of the obligation of Torah study. Nevertheless, it is fitting for her to strive that her children should not be ignoramuses. The study of Torah is equal in importance to all the mitzvoth, since learning leads to action.

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DEUT272 Learn and teach Torah. Learn the wisdom of the Torah and teach it to your children. Learn how to fulfill the mitzvos properly and not transgress the Torah’s prohibitions, achieving true understanding of the Torah's laws. How is this accomplished? Expounding this verse, our Sages answer, “By learning and reviewing the Torah to the degree that it is all on the tip of your tongue, such that if anyone asks you a question about it, you are able to answer him without stuttering, without any hesitation.” This is how one teaches the Torah towards children and pupils-- reviewing it with them until they, too, can answer any question, without hesitation. Key concept: Through Torah learning one comes to understand the ways of Hashem. Without Torah learning, one can never obtain such knowledge. One is left void of understanding, like an animal. He who violate this mitzvah and does not teach his son Torah nullifies a positive precept of the Torah. So, too, anyone who has the opportunity to learn [or teach] and fails to do so. Such a person's punishment is very great, for Torah learning is the mother of all of the other mitzvos.

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DEUT274 See [[EXOD1009]] Exodus 33:11 stir COHON 242

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DEUT267 … in the traditional Jewish family the roles of father and son fit together as in the join of a master mechanic: The father is bidden to provide his child with a thorough knowledge of the Torah; the son is obliged to respect and honor his parents; and when he obtains maturity and can appreciate his forefathers' worth and achievements, he is to say, "When shall my deeds equal theirs?" [this verse, Exodus 20:12; Leviticus 19:3. Seder Eliyahu Rabbah xxv (standard eds.).

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DEUT269 … when Scripture states, "And you shall teach them [the Torah's mitzvoth] diligently to your children" [this verse] the command is in the singular, from the Almighty to every parent personally: Educate your children in the Torah! Our tradition and its Sages were the first to demand education for all among an entire people, in every generation. In his Republic, the Greek philosopher Plato drew up a blueprint of his own for an ideal society: It was essentially totalitarian, quite undemocratic. Education, he wrote, must be limited to soldiers and the children of patricians (nobles, aristocrats). Children of the poor could become no more than laborers or artisans. Thousands upon thousands of Jewish children, since time immemorial, have become laborers and artisans too--but with a rich, masterful knowledge of their heritage. Quite a few Sages are identified in Talmud and Midrash by occupational titles: so-and-so the sandal-maker, so-and-so the carpenter, etc. Poverty has never been a factor to deprive a Jewish child from his rightful education. In fact, the Sages warned, "Treat the children of the poor with care, since from them shall Torah come" (T.B. Nedarim 81a).

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