- Half an Hour a Day: The Torah Obligation of Parenting[1]
The Rebbe Rashab taught a profoundly powerful principle, recorded by the Rebbe and Rebbe Rayatz on multiple occasions: just as it is a mitzvah to put on tefillin [and Daven[2]] every single day, so too it is a mitzvah incumbent upon every parent to dedicate at least half[3] an hour each[4] day to thinking[5] seriously about the education and spiritual development of their children [both boys and girls[6]].
Elaboration on the Educational Lesson: From this short but far‑reaching teaching, we learn a crucial principle about chinuch (education): it is not sufficient to approach education passively or sporadically, nor is it enough to “learn a book” or philosophy of education from beginning to end and assume the job is done. Education, like tefillin, is a daily obligation. Just as tefillin must be put on anew each morning—with attention, intention, and presence—so too a parent’s responsibility to their child must be renewed each day. The Rebbe’s comparison is deliberate: tefillin is not fulfilled by yesterday’s act, and neither is chinuch fulfilled by yesterday’s insight.
This teaches that effective education requires:
- Constant review and engagement – A parent must repeatedly revisit the principles, values, and methods they are using, reassessing what works, what doesn’t, and what needs adjustment.
- Ongoing awareness – Children change, mature, and face new challenges. When a parent is regularly thinking about their child, they remain “on the edge” of awareness—sensitive to shifts in behavior, needs, and opportunities for guidance.
- Deliberate reflection, not just action – The Rebbe stresses thinking for half an hour each day. This conveys that chinuch is not only about reacting or correcting, but about thoughtful planning, foresight, and intentional direction.
- Exerting effort beyond one’s comfort – The phrase “to do everything in his power, and more than his power” implies that true chinuch demands mesirat nefesh—stretching oneself emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually for the sake of the child.
In practical terms, this means that a parent should continually “cycle through” the different aspects of their child’s education—emunah, middos, learning habits, emotional well‑being, social growth—rather than assuming that once something was addressed, it no longer needs attention. Just as one reviews Torah again and again and finds new depth each time, reviewing one’s approach to parenting keeps the parent alert, responsive, and effective. Ultimately, the Rebbe Rashab is teaching that chinuch is a living avodah. When a parent consistently reflects, reviews, and recalibrates, they are far more likely to successfully guide their children to truly walk in the path they are being shown—internally, authentically, and for life.
Translation of Hayom Yom 22nd Teves
“Just as the daily laying of tefillin is a Torah obligation upon every Jew—without distinction between a great Torah scholar and a simple person—so too there is a complete and absolute obligation upon every Jew to devote half an hour every day to thinking about the education of children, and to do everything within one’s power, and even beyond one’s power, to ensure that the children truly walk in the path in which they are being guided.”
[1] Hayom Yom 22nd Teves [see Hayom Yom Hamevuar!]; Igros Kodesh Rayatz 2:385; 3:462; 4:186; Igros Kodesh Rashab 2:460; Likkutei Sichos 1:9; Toras Menachem 15:271; Igros Kodesh 12:100
[2] Igros Kodesh Rayatz 4:186
[3] Hayom Yom 22nd Teves; Igros Kodesh Rayatz 2:385; 4:186; However, see Igros Kodesh Rayatz 3:462 that it should be done for one hour a day
[4] Hayom Yom ibid; See however Igros Kodesh Rayatz 2:385 where it says every 2-3 days
[5] Hayom Yom 22nd Teves; Igros Kodesh Rayatz 2:385; 4:186; However, see Igros Kodesh Rayatz 3:462 that the parent is to speak with his children for one hour a day
[6] Igros Kodesh Rayatz 4:186