certain Rabbi is said to have been so sharp as to have had a clear
recollection of the mid‐wife who made him a citizen of this world. Ben
Sira again, instantly after his birth, entertains his terrified mother
with many a wise and foolish saying, refuses the milk she offers him, and
asks for solid food. A certain Nachman was born with a prophecy on his
lips, predicting the fate of all nations on earth, as well as fixing the
date for the advent of the Messiah. The youngest of seven sons of Hannah,
who became martyrs under the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, was according
to one version aged two years, six months, six hours, and thirty minutes.
But the way in which he defied the threats of the tyrant was really worthy
of one of seventy. R. Judah de Modena is said to have read the lesson from
the prophets in the synagogue at the age of two years and a half. A famous
Cabbalist, Nahum, at the age of three, gave a lecture on the decalogue
that lasted for three days. The Chassidim pretended of one of their
Zaddikim that he remembered all that he had been taught by the angels
before his birth, and thus excused their Zaddik’s utter neglect of
studying anything. Perhaps I may mention in this place a sentence from
Schudt, which may reconcile one to the harmless exaggerations of the
Chassidim. It relates to a case where a Jewish girl of six was taken away
by a Christian with the intention of baptising her, for he maintained that
this was the wish and pleasure of the child. Probably the little girl
received her instruction from the Christian servant of the house, as has
happened many times. Schudt proves that this wish ought to be granted in
spite of the minority of the child. He argues: As there is a maxim, “What
is wanting in years may be supplied by wickedness,” why could not also the
reverse be true that “What is wanting in years can be supplied by grace”?
Of a certain R. Meshullam, again, we know that he preached in the
synagogue at Brody, at the age of nine, and perplexed the chief Rabbi of
the place by his deep Talmudical learning. As the Rabbi had a daughter of
seven, the cleverness exhibited by the boy Rabbi did not end without very
serious consequences for all his life.
Happily all these prodigies or children of grace are only exceptional. I
say happily, for the Rabbis themselves disliked such creatures. They were
more satisfied with those signs of intelligence that indicate future
greatness. The following story may serve as an instance:—R. Joshua ben
Hananiah once made a journey to Rome. Here he was told that amongst the
captives from Jerusalem there was a child with bright eyes, its hair in
ringlets, and its features strikingly beautiful. The Rabbi made up his
mind to redeem the boy. He went to the prison and addressed the child with
a verse from Isaiah, “Who gave Jacob for a spoil and Israel to the
robbers?” On this the child answered by continuing the second half of the
same verse, “Did not the Lord, He against whom we have sinned? For they
would not walk in His ways, neither were they obedient unto His law”
(Isaiah xlii. 24). The Rabbi was so delighted with this answer, that he
said: “I am sure he will grow up to be a teacher in Israel. I take an oath
to redeem him, cost what it may.” The child was afterwards known under the
name of R. Ishmael ben Elisha. Such children were ideals of the Rabbis,
but they hated the baby scholar, who very often grew impertinent and
abused his elders. The Rabbis much preferred the majority of those tiny
creatures, who are characterised by the already mentioned legends on the
“Ages of Men” as little animals playing, laughing, crying, dancing, and
committing all sorts of mischief.
But these children must be taught. Now, there is the well‐known advice of
Judah ben Tema, who used to say that the child at five years was to be
taught Scripture, at ten years Mishnah, at thirteen to fulfil the Law,
etc. This saying, incorporated in most editions in the fifth Chapter of
the _Sayings of the Fathers_, is usually considered as the programme of
Jewish education. But, like so many programmes, this tells us rather how
things ought to have been than how they were. In the times of the Temple,
the participation of the youth in religious actions began at the tenderest
age. As soon as they were able to walk a certain distance with the support
of their parents, the children had to accompany them on their pilgrimages
to Jerusalem. In the Sabbatical year they were brought to the Temple, to
be present at the reading of Deuteronomy by the king.(251) The period at
which the child’s allegiance to the Synagogue began is still more
distinctly described. Of the many Talmudical passages relating to this
question, I shall select the following quotation from a later Midrash,
because it is the most concise. In allusion to Leviticus xix. 23, 24,
concerning the prohibition of eating the fruits of a tree in the first
three years, this Midrash goes on to say: “And this is also the case with
the Jewish child. In the first three years the child is unable to speak,
and therefore is exempted from every religious duty, but in the fourth
year all its fruits shall be holy to praise the Lord, and the father is
obliged to initiate the child in religious works.” Accordingly the
religious life of the child began as soon as it was able to speak
distinctly, or with the fourth year of its life. As to the character of
this initiation we learn from the same Midrash and also from other
Talmudical passages, that it consisted in teaching the child the verses,
“Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God _is_ One” (Deut. vi. 4), and “Moses
commanded us a Torah, the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob” (Deut.
xxxiii. 4). It was also in this year that the boys began to accompany
their parents to the synagogue, carrying their prayer‐books. At what age
the girls first came out—not for their first party, but with the purpose
of going to the synagogue—is difficult to decide with any degree of
certainty. But if we were to trust a rather doubtful reading in Tractate
_Sopherim_,(252) we might maintain that their first appearance in the
synagogue was also at a very tender age. I hope that they behaved there
more respectfully than their brothers, who played and cried instead of
joining in the responses and singing with the congregation. In some
communities they proved so great a nuisance that a certain Rabbi declared
it would be better to leave them at home rather than to have the devotion
of the whole congregation disturbed by these urchins. Another Rabbi
recommended the praiseworthy custom of the Sephardim,(253) who confined
all the boys in the synagogue to one place, and set a special overseer by
their side, with a whip in his hands, to compel them to keep quiet and to
worship with due devotion.
A strange custom is known among the Arabian and Palestinian Jews under the
name of _Chalaka_. It means the first hair‐cutting of the boy after his
fourth birthday. As on this occasion loyalty to the Scripture is shown by
not touching the “corners” (Lev. xix. 17), the whole action is considered
a religious ceremony of great importance. In Palestine it usually takes
place on the second day of the Feast of the Passover when the counting of
the seven weeks begins. On this day friends and relatives assemble at the
house of the parents. Thither the boy is brought, dressed in his best
garments, and every one of the assembly is entrusted with the duty of
cutting a few hairs, which is considered a great privilege. The ceremony
is as usual followed by a dinner given to the guests. The Jews in Safed
and Tiberias perform the ceremony with great pomp in the courtyard
surrounding the (supposed) grave of R. Simeon ben Yochai, in one of the
neighbouring villages.
Another custom already mentioned in the Talmud, but which quite
disappeared in later times, is that of weighing the child. It would be
worth reviving if performed in the way in which the mother of Doeg ben
Joseph did it. This tender‐hearted mother weighed her only son every day,
and distributed among the poor, in gold, the amount of the increased
weight of her child.
I pass now to the second great consecration of the boy,—the rites
performed on the day when the boy went to school for the first time. This
day was celebrated by the Jews, especially in the Middle Ages, in such a
way as to justify the high esteem in which they held the school. The
school was looked upon as a second Mount Sinai, and the day on which the
child entered it as the Feast of Revelation. Of the many different
customs, I shall mention here that according to which this day was fixed
for the Feast of Weeks. Early in the morning, while it was still dark, the
child was washed and dressed carefully. In some places they dressed it in
a “gown with fringes.” As soon as day dawned the boy was taken to the
synagogue, either by his father or by some worthy member of the community.
Arrived at their destination, the boy was put on the Almemor, or reading‐
dais, before the Scroll of the Law, from which the narrative of the
Revelation (Exod. xx. 2‐26) was read as the portion of the day. From the
synagogue the boy was taken to the house of the teacher, who took him into
his arms. Thereupon a slate was brought, containing the alphabet in
various combinations, the verse, “Moses has commanded,” etc. in Deut.
xxxiii. 4, the first verse of the Book of Leviticus, and the words, “The
Torah will be my calling.” The teacher then read the names of the letters,
which the boy repeated. After the reading, the slate was besmeared with
honey, which the boy licked off. This was done in allusion to Ezekiel iii.
3, where it is said: “And it (the roll) was in my mouth as honey for
sweetness.” The boy was also made to eat a sweet cake, on which were
written passages from the Bible relating to the importance of the study of
the Torah. The ceremony was concluded by invoking the names of certain
angels, asking them to open the heart of the boy, and to strengthen his
memory. By the way, I am very much afraid that this invocation was
answerable for the abolition of this ceremony. The year in which this
ceremony took place is uncertain, probably not before the fifth, nor later
than the seventh, according to the good or bad health of the child.
The reverence for the child already hinted at was still further increased
when the boy entered the school. “The children of the house (school) of
the master” is a regular phrase in Jewish literature. It is on their pure
breath that the existence of the world depends, and it is their merit that
justifies us in appealing to the mercy of God. Words of Scripture, uttered
by them quite innocently, were considered as oracles; and many a Rabbi
gave up an undertaking on account of a verse pronounced by a schoolboy,
who hardly understood its import. Take only one instance: R. Johanan was
longing to see his friend Mar Samuel in Babylon. After many disturbances
and delays, he at last undertook the journey. On the way he passed a
school where the boys were reciting the verse from 1 Samuel xxviii. 3,
“And Samuel died.” This was accepted by him as a hint given by Providence
that all was over with his friend.
Especially famous for their wisdom and sharpness were the children of
Jerusalem. Of the many illustrative stories given in the Midrash to
Lamentations, let the following suffice: R. Joshua was one day riding on
his donkey along the high road. As he passed a well, he saw a little girl
there, and asked her to give him some water. She accordingly gave water to
him and to his animal. The Rabbi thanked her with the words: “My daughter,
you acted like Rebecca.” “To be sure,” she answered, “I acted like
Rebecca; but you did not behave like Eleazar.” I must add that there are
passages in Jewish literature from which, with a little ingenuity, it
might be deduced that Jewish babies are the most beautiful of their kind.
The assertion made by a monk that Jewish children are inferior to
Christian children is a dreadful libel. The author of the _Old
Victory_,(254) in whose presence this assertion was made, was probably
childless, or he would have simply scratched out the eyes of this
malicious monk, instead of giving a mystical reason for the superior
beauty of any other children than his own.
Another point to be emphasised is that the boys were not confined all day
long to the close air of the schoolroom. They had also their hours of
recreation. This recreation consisted chiefly, as one can imagine, in
playing. Their favourite game was the ball, boys as well as girls being
fond of this form of amusement. They did not deny themselves this pleasure
even on festivals. They were also fond of the kite and games with nuts, in
which their mothers also took part. Letter‐games and riddles also occupied
their minds in the recreation hours. The angel Sandalphon,(255) who also
bears in the Cabbalah the name of “Boy,” was considered by the children as
their special patron, and they invoked him in their plays, addressing to
him the words: “Sandalphon, Lord of the forest, protect us from pain.”
Speaking generally, there are very few distinctively Jewish games. From
the researches of Zunz, Güdemann, and Löw on this subject, it is clear
that the Jews always adopted the pastimes of the peoples among whom they
dwelt.
But it must not be thought that there was too much playing. Altogether,
Jewish education was far from spoiling the children. And though it was
recommended—if such recommendation were necessary—to love children more
than one’s own soul, the Rabbis strongly condemned that blind partiality
towards our own offspring, which ends in burdening our world with so many
good‐for‐nothings. The sad experience of certain biblical personages
served as a warning for posterity. Even from the quite natural behaviour
of Jacob towards his son Joseph, which had the best possible results in
the end, they drew the lesson that a man must never show to one of his
children marks of greater favour than to the others. In later times they
have been even anxious to conceal this love altogether, and some Rabbis
went so far as to refrain from kissing their children. The severity of
Akabya ben Mahalaleel is worth mentioning, if not imitating. When this
Rabbi, only a few minutes before his death, was asked by his son to
recommend him to his friends and colleagues, the answer the poor boy
received was: “Thy conduct will recommend thee to my friends, or will
estrange thee from them.” Another Rabbi declared (with reference to Prov.
xxviii. 27) that it is life‐giving to a youth to teach him temperance in
his diet, and not to accustom him to meat and wine. R. Judah, the Pious,
in the Middle Ages, gives the advice to rich parents to withdraw their
resources from their sons if they lead a disorderly life. The struggle for
their existence, and the hardship of life, would bring them back to God.
When the old Rabbi said that poverty is a most becoming ornament for
Israel, his remark was probably suggested by a similar thought. And many a
passage in the Rabbinic literature gives expression to the same idea as
that in Goethe’s divine lines:—
Wer nie sein Brot mit Thränen ass,
Wer nie die kummervollen Nächte
Auf seinem Bette weinend sass,
Der kennt Euch nicht, Ihr himmlischen Mächte.
I have spoken of a kingdom of priests, but there is one great disadvantage
of such a polity. One or two priests in a community may be sustained by
the liberality of the congregation. But if a community consisted of only
priests, how could it then be maintained? Besides, the old Jewish ideal
expected the teacher to be possessed of a divine goodness, imparting his
benefits only as an act of grace. Salaries, therefore, either for teaching
or preaching, or for giving ritual decisions, were strongly forbidden. The
solution of the question put by the Bible, “And if ye shall say, What
shall we eat?” is to be found in the law that every father was obliged to
teach his son a handicraft, enabling him to obtain a living.
I have now to speak of the time when childhood is brought to a conclusion.
It is, as I stated above, in the case of a girl at the beginning of the
thirteenth year, and in that of a boy at the beginning of the fourteenth
year. As a reason for this priority I will reproduce the words of R.
Chisda, who said that God has endowed woman with a greater portion of
intelligence than man, and therefore she obtains her maturity at an
earlier period than man does. A very nice compliment, indeed; but like all
compliments it is of no practical consequence whatever. It is not always
the wiser who get the best of it in life. Whilst the day on which the girl
obtained her majority passed unnoticed either by her or by her family, it
was marked in the case of the boy as the day on which he became a Son of
the Law,(256) and was signalised by various rites and ceremonies, and by
the bestowing on him of beautiful presents. I miss only the wig, which
used to form the chief ornament of the boy on this happy day.
Less known, however, is the origin of this ceremony, and the reason for
fixing its date. It cannot claim a very high antiquity. I may remark that
in many cases centuries elapse before an idea or a notion takes practical
shape and is crystallised into a custom or usage, and still longer before
this custom is fossilised into a law or fixed institution. As far as the
Bible goes, there is not the slightest indication of the existence of such
a ceremony. From Lev. xxvii. 5, and Num. xiv. 29, it would rather seem
that it was not before the twentieth year that the man was considered to
have obtained his majority, and to be responsible for his actions. It was
only in the times of the Rabbis, when Roman influence became prevalent in
juristic matters at least, that the date of thirteen, or rather the
_pubertas_, was fixed as giving the boy his majority. But it would be a
mistake to think that before having obtained this majority the boy was
considered as under age in every respect. Certainly the law made every
possible effort to connect him with the synagogue, and to initiate him in
his religious duties long before the age of thirteen.
We have seen that the boy’s first appearance in the synagogue was at the
beginning of the fourth year. We have noticed the complaints about his
troublesome behaviour. But how could we expect the poor child to be
attentive to things which quite surpassed the intellectual powers of his
tender age? There was no better reason for this attendance either in the
Temple or in the synagogue than that the parents might be rewarded by God
for the trouble of taking their children there. These cares, by the way,
fell most heavily upon the women. The mother of R. Joshua enjoyed this
burden so much that she carried her boy, when still in the cradle, to the
“House of Study of the Law,” in order that his ears might be accustomed to
the sound of the Torah. In later times there was another excuse for taking
the little children to the synagogue. They were there allowed to sip the
wine of the Sanctification Cup,(257) which was the exclusive privilege of
the children; an easy way of worshipping, but, as you can observe, it is a
method that they enjoy and understand most excellently. They did not less
enjoy and understand the service with which they were charged on the day
of “The Rejoicing of the Law.”(258) On this feast they were provided with
flags, which they carried before the bearers of the Torah, who feasted
them after the service with sweets. Another treat was that of being called
up on this day to the Torah, a custom that is still extant. In the Middle
Ages they went in some countries so far as to allow these little fellows
who did not wear caps “to be called up” to say the blessings over the Law
bare‐headed. A beautiful custom was that every Sabbath, after finishing
the weekly lesson and dressing the Scroll of the Law, the children used to
come up to the Almemor and kiss the Torah. Leaving the synagogue they
kissed the hands of the scholars. At home the initiation began with the
blessing the child received on every eve of the Sabbath, and with its
instruction in “Hear O Israel” and other verses as already mentioned.
Short prayers, consisting of a single sentence, were also chosen for
children of this age. The function of the child on the eve of the first
day of Passover is well known. Besides the putting of the four questions
for the meaning of the strange ceremony (Exod. xiii. 14), the boy had also
to recite, or rather to sing, the “Praise.”(259) But I am afraid that they
enjoyed better the song of “One Kid,” which was composed or rather adapted
for their special entertainment from an old German poem.
Within three or four years after entering the synagogue, and with the
growth of intellect and strength, the religious duties of the boy
increased, and became of a more serious character. He had not only to
attend the school, which was troublesome enough, but he was also expected
to attend the services more regularly, and to gain something by it. Yet
the Rabbis were not so tyrannical as to put unjust demands on the patience
of the child. The voice of God on Mount Sinai, the Rabbis said, was
adapted to the intellect and powers of all who witnessed the
Revelation—adapted, as the Midrash says, to the powers of old and young,
children and women. It was in accordance with this sentiment that the
Rabbis suited their language to the needs of the less educated classes.
Thus we read in the Tractate _Sopherim_ that according to the law the
portion of the week, after having been recited in Hebrew, must be
translated into the language of the vernacular for the benefit of the
unlearned people, the women, and the children. Another consideration
children experienced from the Rabbis was that at the age of nine or ten
the boy was initiated into the observance of the Day of Atonement by
fasting a few hours. Lest, however, this good work might be overdone, and
thus endanger the child’s health, the sage R. Acha used to tell his
congregation after the Addition‐Prayer “My brethren, let every one of you
who has a child go home and make it eat.” In later centuries, when the
disease of small‐pox became so fatal, some Rabbis declared it to be the
duty of every father to leave the town with his children as soon as the
plague showed itself. The joy with which the Rabbis hailed Dr. Jenner’s
discovery deserves our recognition. None of them perceived in vaccination
a defiance of Providence. R. Abraham Nansich, from London, wrote a
pamphlet to prove its lawfulness. The Cabbalist Buzagli disputed Dr.
Jenner’s priority, but nevertheless approved of vaccination. R. Israel
Lipschütz declared that the Doctor acquired salvation by his new remedy.
With his advancing age, not only the boy’s duties but also his rights were
increased. An enumeration of all these rights would lead me too far, but I
shall mention the custom which allowed the boy the recital of
“Magnified”(260) and “Bless ye”(261) in the synagogue. Now this privilege
is restricted to the orphan boy. It is interesting to hear that girls were
also admitted to recite the Magnified in the synagogue, in cases where
their parents left no male issue. I have myself witnessed such a case. In
some countries the boy had the exclusive privilege of reading the prayers
on the evenings of the festivals and Sabbaths. R. Samson ben Eleazar, in
the fifteenth century, received his family name Baruch Sheamar(262) from
the skill with which he recited this prayer when a boy. He chanted it so
well that he was called by the members of the community Master Baruch
Sheamar. As to the question whether the boy, while under age, might
lawfully be considered as one of the Ten when such a quorum was required,
or one of the three in the case of grace after meals, I can only say that
the authorities never agreed in this respect. Whilst the one insisted upon
his having obtained his majority, the other was satisfied with his showing
such signs of intelligence as would enable him to participate in the
ceremony in question. Here is an instance of such a sign. Abaye and Raba,
the two celebrated heroes of the Babylonian Talmud, were sitting at the
table of Rabbah. Before saying grace he asked them, “Do you know to whom
these prayers are addressed?” Thereupon one boy pointed to the roof,
whilst the other boy went out and pointed to the sky. The examiner was
satisfied with their answer.
The privilege of putting on the phylacteries forms now in most countries
the chief distinction of “The Son of the Law”; in olden times, however,
every boy had claim to it as soon as he showed himself capable of behaving
respectfully when wearing the holy symbol. It even happened that certain
honours of the synagogue were bestowed on boys, though under age. We
possess a copy of a Jewish epitaph dating from about the third century,
which was written in Rome for a boy of eight years, who is there
designated as archon. The fact is the more curious, as on the other hand
the Palestinian R. Abuha, who lived in the same century, maintained that
no man must be elected as Warden before he has achieved his fiftieth year.
That boys were admitted to preach in the synagogue I have already
mentioned.(263)