What does it take to educate a child? There are many theories as to what subjects to teach, when to begin formal education, and the method by which the child should learn. The “what, when, and how” answers are crucial to a child’s development. Some people overlook the importance of educating children when they are very young, saying “when they get older, they will understand,” however it is worth challenging this assumption. In this week’s Torah portion, Vayak’hel, we learn how the chacham lev (the team of wise-hearted artists) built the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. Who are these chacham lev? They are wise people, those who have wisdom and skill, but not just in their manual abilities; they are also emotionally invested in their craft and in building the Tabernacle with all that it needs. One of the things that jumps at us is the timing of the construction: When the coverings were made—intrinsic weaving skills were needed to create it—and at the same time, the ropes were woven, as well as the stakes that were needed to anchor the roof cover to the ground so that it didn’t move in the wind. In addition, the Temple was built first with the walls and roof and only later did they build the vessels—the altar, menorah, ark, etc. Seemingly, the main use of the Temple was in the vessels. Why the need to build the outside coverings and walls first? After all, it was assembled all at one time. Here we have a lesson for us: Education starts at a very young age. The educator's job is to instill in a child, not only the subject matter, but even more importantly how to be well anchored so that they don’t “blow in the wind of society” as they get older. The younger the child is when they are taught these skills, the better person they will grow up to be. Of course, we all know that the most valuable part of the Temple was not its stakes but the Holy Ark, yet without those stakes the Holy Ark would have no home. This is why the Torah tells us that even the stakes had to be made by the chacham lev – by skilled craftsman. It is the same with education. The teachers of the youngest children must be quality teachers! Parents, who are given the responsibility to educate their children, must invest all their resources to raise their children to be anchored well to what really matters to them – do not wait until “when they get older they will understand.”
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