Joodse traditie als permanent leren

256.

pedagogische en didactische opvattingen van vroegere Torah-leraren. Niet door die opvattingen kritiekloos over te nemen, maar door ze op te vatten als hermeneutieken en heuristieken die naar het hedendaagse onderwijs en onze leraren en leerlingen vertaald moeten wor-den. ⁴¹

Als tegenhanger van het enigszins abstracte karakter van de tot nu toe ontwikkelde gedachten over de relatie tussen leraar en leerling, volgt nu een concrete talmudische uitwerking van het lesgeven. Ik citeer (de talmudplaatsen verwijzen naar TB):

'Instruction was two-pronged in intent - improvement of l:he memory by accurate transmission and frequent repetition of material, and, at a later stage, the development of creative thought. Pupils learned to transmit statements in the same phraseology used by their teachers ("one is obliged to use the language of one's teacher"). Since the Oral Law, which could not be committed to writing, was continually expanding, accuracy in learning it was attainable only through endless repetition; hence the dictum, "He who has repeated his chapter a hundred times is not to be compared to him who has repeated it a hundred and one times" (Hag. 9b). The pupils thus acquired proficiency in recitation and a knowledge of the language of Scripture and the basic equipment required for participation in the creative study of the Talmud, essentially

an incisive analysis of the mishnayot and the 42

beraitot. The sages were strikingly modern in their practice of the pedagogic art. When Tarfon's pupils said to him: "Tell us, teacher, by what virtue did Judah merit the kingdom? he answered, 'You tell' " (Mekh. , Be-Shallah 5). On one occasion Akiva deliberately stated a halakhah incorrectly "to sharpen the wits of his pupils" (Nid. 45a). Every possible mnemonic device was employed - notarikon, association