Likkutei Sichos vol. 9 Va’eschanan 1
A. “You Shall Teach Them To Your Sons”
The lesson focuses on the well-known verse from the Shema: “You shall teach them to your sons.” This verse defines the mitzvah of Torah study, and Rashi comments: “‘to your sons’—these are the students. Everywhere we find that students are called children.”
The obvious question is: Why doesn’t Rashi suffice with the simple meaning—that every father is obligated to teach his own biological sons? Why does he interpret “sons” to mean “students”?
B. Must a Father Personally Teach His Son?
Rashi presents several proofs from the Torah and from common practice that the obligation of Torah education does not require a father to teach his son personally.
- The livelihood of the tribe of Simeon: Jacob blessed the tribe of Simeon that they would be scattered throughout Israel as teachers of young children. If every father were required to teach his own son himself, there would have been no livelihood for the tribe of Simeon. This demonstrates that a father fulfills his obligation by sending his son to study with a teacher.
- Teaching grandchildren: The Torah relates that Jacob taught Torah to his grandson Ephraim, and that Joseph educated his great-grandchildren. Had the mitzvah rested exclusively upon the child’s father, Jacob and Joseph would have been taking the mitzvah away from the fathers of those children.
- A schoolchild’s question: A beginner student learning this verse would naturally ask, “If the Torah says my father must teach me, why does he send me to study with a teacher together with other children? And why do all the other fathers do the same?” Rashi’s explanation—”these are the students”—reassures the child that his father is fully fulfilling the mitzvah.
C. The Three Proofs
To prove that the word “sons” can refer to students, Rashi cites examples from each section of Tanach.
1. From the Torah – “You are children of the L-rd your G-d”
The Jewish people are called G-d’s children because they learned His Torah.
2. From the Prophets – “The sons of the prophets”
This term refers to groups of students who gathered around great prophets, such as Elijah and Elisha, to study Torah and receive prophetic inspiration. Although they were not the prophets’ biological children, they were called “the sons of the prophets” because they were their disciples.
3. From the Writings – King Hezekiah: “My children, do not be negligent”
After the spiritual decline under his father, King Ahaz, Hezekiah restored the Temple and called upon the nation to renew its covenant with G-d. In his address to the priests and Levites, he referred to them as “my children.”
One might suggest that he did so simply because a king cares for his people like a father. However, no other king addressed the nation this way. Hezekiah uniquely used this title because of his role in spreading Torah study and bringing about a spiritual revival among the Jewish people.
D. “A Teacher Is Called a Father” – The Educational Ideal
After demonstrating that students are called “children,” Rashi adds a complementary principle: “So too, a teacher is called a father.”
The word “You shall teach them” (veshinantam) conveys the idea of diligent teaching, constant review, and tireless effort. This raises an important question: Why should a teacher invest so much time, energy, and devotion in children to whom he is not biologically related?
The Torah’s answer is that a teacher is not merely someone who imparts information—he is a father. The moment a person becomes an educator, he assumes both the privilege and the responsibility of caring for his students with the same love, concern, patience, and selfless devotion that a father shows his own children.
