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Why did the Torah (תורה) originally assign fathers full responsibility for their children's Torah education? The Gemara (גמרא)'s account of Yehoshua ben Gamla's educational reforms reveals that shared responsibility often leads to diminished accountability. When parents can blame schools and schools can blame parents, nobody takes complete ownership of a child's chinuch.
This shiur examines the fundamental tension between the Torah (תורה)'s original vision of parental responsibility for chinuch and the practical reality of modern Jewish education. Rabbi Zweig begins by establishing that the Ribono shel Olam designed the Torah system with fathers bearing complete responsibility for their children's education - both Torah learning and derech eretz. This total responsibility was intentional because when someone has full accountability, they cannot shift blame and must ensure success. The discussion centers on the Gemara (גמרא)'s account of Yehoshua ben Gamla's educational reforms, which Rabbi Zweig characterizes as both necessary and tragic. While these reforms solved the immediate problem of orphaned children having no Torah education, they created an unintended consequence: the division of educational responsibility between parents and schools. This division, though practically necessary, represents a departure from the Torah's optimal system.
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Discussion of Yehoshua ben Gamla's educational reforms
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Why didn't Noach daven for his generation while Avrohom advocated for Sedom? Noach viewed each person as an independent island responsible only for their own teshuvah. Avrohom understood that all humanity is interconnected through shared perspective and values, making prayer for others both possible and necessary.
