Teaching your children to swim

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Teaching your children to swim:

The Talmud[1] records an opinion that states a father is obligated to teach his son how to swim. The reason recorded in the Talmud[2] for this is because on this matter “his life is dependent”. This means that since it is possible that if one does not know to swim that he will drown, such as in the event of shipwreck, therefore the father is obligated to teach him to swim to prevent Sakana/danger.[3] The Rambam, Shulchan Aruch and all later Poskim however omit this ruling of the Talmud. Some Poskim[4] explain the reason for this is omission is because we do not rule like this opinion in the Gemara, but rather like the first opinion in the Gemara ibid which omits this obligation. [In conclusion, due to the lack of ruling in the Shulchan Aruch and Poskim, although teaching children to swim has Talmudic reference, it is not legally binding on the father. Nonetheless, as is the case with all matters of education, it is a moral duty of the parents to educate their children to avoid dangerous situations, and hence just as parents must teach their children how to cross the street, despite its lack of mention in Poskim, similarly they must teach their children how to swim if they will be around water. Perhaps this is included in the negative command of “Lo Saamod Al Dam Reiacha.”]

 

[1] Kiddushin 29a

[2] Kiddushin 30b

[3] Rashi Kiddushin 29a

[4] Binyan Tziyon 125

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.

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