Joodse traditie als permanent leren

194.

VOORBEELD 2 : De regels van Joseph Karo (16e eeuw).

Ik citeer uit Goldman (1975), pp. 151-165. Goldman citeert Karo's Hilkhot Talmud Torah volledig (246:1-26 hieronder) en nog enige andere op permanent leren betrekking hebbende passages van hem. Ook citeert hij enige commentaren op Karo, die vooral betrekking hebben op het leren van volwassenen

The code of Maimonides served as the basis for subsequent codes, of which there were many. But the highest peak in Jewish legal literature was reached four hundred years after Maimonides issued his Mishneh Torah, with the publication in 1567 of the Shulhan Arukh by Joseph Karo. It is the greatest and most authoritative of all codes of Jewish law, and popular recognition has made it the standard codification of Jewish teachings and traditional practices. As might be expected, the Shulhan Arukh contains a good many legal formulations dealing with education generally and also with adult education. This is particularly true of the second of the four books of the code, entitled, appropriately enough Yoreh Deah ("Teaching Knowledge") , in which most of the material on education is found. There are also a few references to our subject in the first book, Orah Hayyim ("The Way of Life"), and in the fourth book, the Hoshen Mishpat ("Breastplate of Justice").

The vitality of Jewish jurisprudence is to be noted in the fact that even the Shulhan Arukh was not allowed to petrify the growth of Jewish law and custom. For, no sooner did its text appear than it became the basis for further interpretations and commentaries. Some of these soon achieved such an authoritative character that they were included as annotations to the printed text in every edition of the Shulhan Arukh.In the following translation, in addition to the main text, some of the more relevant of these comments are included as notes printed in smaller type ((hier: ingesprongen).). We begin with some passages from Yoreh Deah.

((Obligations for Adult Education))

¹ 246, 1. The duty of studying the Torah rests upon every Jew, whether he be rich or poor, whether he be in sound health or an