Hilchos Talmud Torah – Chapter 2: The Organization and Standards of Torah Education
Halachah 1 — Communal Obligation to Provide Torah Education
Every land, region, and village must have teachers for young children.
If a community fails to appoint teachers, its residents are placed under ostracism until they do so.
If they persist, the city deserves destruction, for the world exists only through the Torah study of children.
Halachah 2 — Age of Study and Educational Discipline
Children begin formal Torah study at age six or seven, depending on health and development.
A teacher may discipline students to instill fear and respect, but not harshly—only gently.
Teachers must teach throughout the day and part of the night, training students to study constantly.
Children may not miss learning time except:
- late Friday afternoon,
- festivals themselves.
On Shabbat, new material is not introduced; prior learning is reviewed.
Children’s Torah study is never interrupted, even for building the Temple.
Halachah 3 — Standards for Teachers
A teacher who neglects students, leaves them unattended, or teaches lazily violates a severe admonition.
Therefore, teachers must be:
- G-d‑fearing,
- knowledgeable,
- diligent,
- fully devoted to teaching.
Halachah 4 — Who May Teach Children
An unmarried man should not teach children, due to the mothers who visit.
A woman should not teach children, due to the fathers who visit.
Halachah 5 — Class Size and Staffing
- Up to 25 students may be taught by one teacher.
- Between 25 and 40, an assistant is required.
- Above 40 students, two teachers must be appointed.
Halachah 6 — Transferring Students Between Teachers
A child may be transferred to a better or faster teacher in the same city.
However, a child may not be forced to:
- travel between cities,
- or cross a river,
unless there is a strong, safe bridge.
Halachah 7 — Competition Between Teachers
If a person wishes to open a school in a shared courtyard or alley, neighbors may not object.
Similarly, one teacher may open a school next to another, even if students transfer.
Competition in Torah education is encouraged, for it increases Torah and glorifies it.
