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J’Accuse…! The ‘Fall and Rise’ of Torah-True Education

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yesterday

For YOUR enlightenment, while concurrently sustaining Incurable symbol-referent Confusions among THEIR (Predominantly Illiterate) believers → there still are some few Positive facets to Idolatry ⇒ since each idol’s physical details facilitate orally transmitting aspects of that culture’s primordial ‘memories’ -and- Their associated ‘idealized life-practices advice’. Therewith, most TOXIC idolatrous aspects are tendencies imagining their idol as a Transactional ENTITY ‘who’ Causes events; thus the idol’s Desires, Anger, Benevolence, etc. Diverts idolaters (individually & culturally) from deeper inquiries into Actual Causality Mechanisms.

While every surviving ancient culture always tries to retain accumulated ‘presumptive life-practices advice’ & primeval-history wisdom ⇒ https://opentextbc.ca/indigenizationresearchers/chapter/indigenous-ethics-and-mindset/; Our Jewish Ancient antecedents (certified by Mishnah & Talmud) acknowledge Avruhum Avinu A”H keeping ALL Torat Moshe (status) Mitzvot – even though living hundreds of years pre-Sinai: his ultra-sensative awareness of Kedusha & Taharah (definitions in https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/mitzvah-the-concept/) allowed him to choose from (and if-necessary appropriately perfect) life-technologies (already) discovered or invented, then appreciated & transmitted from Long Before. 

NOW: Kindly ‘contemplate’ YOUR ‘personal’ G?D? conception-abstraction(s).

THEN: see “Note” in https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/mishnah-tehillim-gd-and-our-now/

HaRav A.I.Kook A”H wrote “From time to time there is exposed an admixture of the pure belief in one God with the obfuscation of ascribing corporality to Him, and whenever an aspect of anthropomorphism falls away, it appears as though religion itself has fallen. Soon, however, it turns out that religion has not fallen, but has become clarified. In the recent turn of the human spirit toward pure faith the last subtle shell of anthropomorphism is giving way, which consists in ascribing the attribute of general existence to God, for truly whatever we ascribe to the term existence is immeasurable remote from the divine. This denial has the sound of atheism. It is, however, the highest expression of religion when it becomes well clarified, and the human spirit grows accustomed to hearing the message of religion in terms of actions and influences, the phenomena of existence and the phenomena of the Torah and of morals – the recognition that the divine is the activating influence on existence and is, therefore, obviously above existence. What looks like atheism, cleansed of its defilement, thus returns to the highest realms of pure religion. But this denial of existence [in God], which is a return to the vision of God as the source of all existence and to the most ultimate essence of the majesty of all existence, requires the most scrupulous understanding. Each day it must be traced back to its authentic purity.” (translation: B.Z.Bokser©1978)

Unfortunately, using the HaShem ‘word’ completely disintegrates ideational perspective-distinctions between Torat Moshe’s precisely articulated G?D? (related) ‘words’; thereby risking existence-ENTITY misconceptions. 

Anthropomorphic G?D? as (an) existence–ENTITY was significantly Diluted by OUR Avot -and- at Sinai; EXCEPT for ‘therapeutically’ residing among children, unenlightened-unlearned adults, many self-actualizing individuals (aspiring to ‘transcend’ mundane moments), & most every individual (during profound stress) ⇒ Especially those who Exclusively exemplify G?D? as (an) existence–ENTITY ‘who’ is 

(A) NEEDING (?) Sacrifices (-or- Words in place of sacrifices) for G?D? Propitiation! 

(B) ACCEPTING (?) Halacha Observance for gaining Transactional Cosmic-Credits!

(C) EMPOWERING (?) Writings, Diagrams, or Objects as Magical Totems or Amulets! 

(recall) → Authoritative insights (from Sinai) used TWO equivalent ‘Torat Moshe status’ Preambles: 

“B’Meh Devorim Amurim” was how Moshe Rabenu taught us to explore Sinai-status Mitzvah concepts & details (literally: In-what Visceral-contexts facilitate more explicit Articulations). 

“B’Emet Amru” identifies some antediluvian practices as Sinai-status accepted Mitzvot (literally: In-Truth such ‘Ancient’ Articulations as ‘proper’ fundamentals) ⇒ dating significant Torah ShBaal Peh portions as much older than Sinai -and- even than Avruhum Avinu A”H.

Together these Preambles brought forth Halacha’s ‘Living’ Wisdom – which Thoughtfully continues ‘assimilating’ later technologies; to Consistently & Holistically refresh our maturation-choices. [“Halacha” definitions in https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/physical-judaism-appreciated-introduction/]

Incidentally, most medicines (over-the-counter & prescription), after double-blind testing on a few thousand individuals over some years, are (FDA) certified as “Safe & Effective” – meaning safer & more effective than prior medications for treating many (or most) persons having some respective ailment/symptoms. Thus, WE find it infinitely ‘more reasonable’ to accept Halacha; having been ‘tested’ on millions of people over thousands of years(!) especially as (double-blind) compared to laws, customs, life-quality particulars, and survivability paradigms of ‘Others’. [https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/a-matan-torah-prequel-noahide-mental-health/]

Naturally, Halacha’s Awesome Symbiotic co-Technology is Jewish Education; including the legendary Shem & Ever ‘academy’, Yitzhak & Yaakov’s Home Schooling episodes, and (insert) Torat Moshe (here!). 

From there, Torah-True Education continued along Two Inter-twining tracks: Every Son immersing

(1) into (Hebrew) literacy, by reading-reciting-memorizing texts, and reviewing them mentally & orally; with fathers, teachers, & friends -and- 

(2) by copying SEFER Torat Moshe – looking ever deeper into quasi-recursive decipherable dimensions of every word, name, & place; root, articulation ‘possibility’, & euphemism; again & again, over & over, in macro & in micro UNTIL meso-Life measures are clear, personal, & inspiring. 

Historically, truly extraordinary individuals merged prior-art wisdom & knowledge instantiations into their own minds – becoming integrally (as if) ONE person with All enlightened authors of ‘earlier’ literature & lore (‘oral’ midrash). Thereby ‘producing’ G?D? (catalyzed) continuation texts: some – profound for eternity; others – ‘only’ particularly awakening their own epoch. Thus, just as pre-Sinai prior-art progress was stratified into focal texts & diffuse oral-traditions – likewise Halacha’s (early) co-technology was preserved as TANAKH: continuing Our essential life-perfecting paradigm; portrayed in Torat Moshe’s holographic transcription.

The Fall of Torah-True Education 

…during which – Layers of Ideational catastrophe struck! First were National encounters with assorted incomprehensible idolatries’ spurious causality beliefs, exemplified anti-Life rituals, & other motivational confusions. Next came Our first horrific National exile; wherein we lost Our fundamental linguistic cloud-of-meaning perception – resulting 

(1) in significant divergences between written and articulated Torat Moshe [although awareness of such distinctions Had Been part of traditional-transitioning From ‘basic studies’ To advanced-Egalitarian ‘consciousness’] -and- 

(2) in deeply concretized literalizations of most Hebrew words therein – Targum Onkelos brilliantly translating concept-to-example simplifications for students (& scholars) who no longer Think in Hebrew. 

Such linguistic losses gave rise to two ‘alternative’ Halacha Academies – both Righteously claiming living-authorization traditions from Moshe at Sinai; 

One being schools tending to try interpreting around these newly forming pseudo-linguistic ‘traps’, -and- 

The Other being schools tending to sanctify articulation by demanding restricted conceptualization, simplified literalism, and inspired (perhaps guided) visualization.

These schools further diversified into growing pluralities of practices; many (or all ?) finding unique directions away from Our earlier Living-Pathways. 

Along with (secular & religious) domestic nepotism and foreign integration, these factors ALL converged – beginning Our second horrific National exile.

Surveying ‘subsequent’ trauma & nihilism, survivors & ‘martyrs’, causes & effects – Rebbi Yehudah HaNasi compiles a massive comprehensive (anthology) supplement to Our basic National ‘Torat Moshe’ TANAKH Curriculum; The Instructional Masterpiece Mishnah: fundamentally guiding Teachers to elevate National maturation, conceptualization, ideation; opinion/discussion & consensus. 

[Progressive Educational Psychology courses ‘absolutely-pale’ – compared with the proven genius of Mishnah’s organizational development.] 

In The Gentleman and the Jew – reflecting on his early education (1900-1910; Manchester, UK) – Maurice Samuel writes “…our parents sent us to cheder, a private Hebrew school, every evening after the regular school, … But the knowledge faded from us as we grew up, … the Rebbi was no teacher. His scholarly attainments, I ascertained in later years, were respectable; his pedagogic instincts – training he had none – were rudimentary in the extreme.” [https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/03/26/4-facts-about-religious-switching-within-judaism-in-israel/]

[I believe] Samuel’s Experience → typical of ‘most’ (local/basic) Jewish education over Our last Thousand Years ⇒ COMBINED with simultaneous myriads of Jewish (education disrupting) Community disconnections, expulsions, pogroms, holocaust(s) -AND- 

Our recent – two centuries – Feeling Cultural Inferiority beneath the shadow (or light?) of Industrial Age technology, Modernity, and Information Age saturation → 

Gave Rise To large proportions of Jewish individuals, families -and- teachers who are Substantially Ignorant of Mishnah: Our (cognitive-dissonance Prioritizing) thought structures ‘encyclopedia’. [quasi-Proofs: Most Talmud commentators – from recent centuries – quote Mishnah portions – presuming students (and most teachers) lack sufficient familiarity; -and- Much Earlier are stories of ‘great’ individuals whose initial Jewish Education was nil – including Rebbi Akiva, Resh Lakish, and Eliezer b/Hyrḳanos. [see https://www.sefaria.org.il/Pirkei_DeRabbi_Eliezer.1.1?lang=he] 

One might perhaps imagine this critique as directed at (newer) Conservatives, Reconstructionist/Liberals, Reform/Neologs, Renewals; Pseudo-Seculars, & Unidentified → However WE Include (quasi-traditional)  Ultra-Orthodox, Kabbalistic, Hasidic, Orthodox, & (Post)Modern-Orthodox ⇒ ALL having curriculums Jumping -from- Torat Moshe ‘Stories’ -to- sparse sprinklings of Mishnah & some Perke Avot ‘Maxims’ -into- assorted Talmud text ‘Blocks’; which is Analogous to taking students, who know little more than basic arithmetic & simple logic, and Throwing them into lectures & discussions of Quantum Mechanics → where SOME amazing kids somehow get it (Talmud) → MORE just ‘creatively’ quote & mimic ⇒ while MOST passively or actively drop-out – and then (as we see today) most of their progeny become even more distant drop-outs! 

TODAY: Successful Programs making (spiritual) Judaism compelling & relevant → ‘only’ sustain Kinder-Torah affiliation; while Failing to repair CORE educational-DECAY ‘traditions’.

Neither advocating or refuting Halacha’s importance, nor ANY aforementioned ‘religious’ orientation ⇒ Awakening Everyone: we must actualize integrating significant pedagogically ordered courses into every Jewish child’s curriculum. More particularly, notice: less than 1% of Mishnah has any mention or reference to G?D?, thus – appreciate 99% are teachings using Once Familiar examples → to help students develop some flexibility​​ for considering & transforming each Tractate’s related exemplified conceptualizations onto any of many later-life situations, problems, dilemmas, … 

Having made these claims, our obligation is to begin presenting (a very incomplete listing of) Technological examples – as parallel to Mishnah’s structures; allowing readers’ internet searchings thereof; more particularly, Professionals (dealing with such Technologies) to appreciate Mishnah as helpful for explaining their technical efforts to family & friends; curious to understand ‘contemporary’ science.

Always Acknowledge Our Scholarly Ancestors (quoted in Mishnah) Did NOT contemplate or anticipate ‘modern’ science & technology. RATHER, innovative theorists, inventors, and developers have reinvented or rediscovered Mishnah causality-concept mechanisms; eventually integrated these with technologies of their respective era → to arrive at Mishnah-parallel examples [B”H – my catalog – in subsequent Blogs]. 

The Rise of Torah-True Education

ASAP Immersive Hebrew is absolutely(!) preferable; even better with precisely articulated phonemes (℅ Yemenite tradition); while nevertheless Teaching/Explaining IN whichever Language is MOST Understandable!

Here: Merging into section “National Education Curriculum” in https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/judicial-legislative-executive-educational-reform/

post-Perke Av’ot 5.21

Children (5-10) Torat Moshe (one book per year) infused with enlivening Midrash; daily & seasonal Halacha; Literacy & Mathematics: one topic per month – repeating in this sequence – each year >> Numerations, Operations, Measures; Sets, Mappings, Shapes; Symmetries, Patterns, Paths; Permutations, Sequences, Structures

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)