Date: Tue, 16 May 2000 21:57:15 -0400 (EDT)
From: Russell Hendel <  rhendel@mcs.drexel.edu>
Subject: Re: Educating Our Children

QUESTION: Smeone in Torah Forum Volume 5 Number 81 asks about a suggested
mandatory program to require Sunday school of congregant children and to
penalize them by disallowing a bar mitzvah if they don't go.

ANSWER:
I have a simple solution.

Do require the program! Do allow everyone to obtain a bar mitzvah (no
matter how inexperienced they are). Create an exemption from the Sunday
program if the boys in question have an alternate source of education. But
penalize the boys who don't attend the program by not allowing them eg to
pray as Cantor, or to get aliyoth the rest of the year (except on their bar
mitzvah parshah).

In other words: Do create standards and requirements but don't punish
delinquents excessively---rather punish them by not allowing them to
'volunteer' to be things like Cantors and Olehs which they have not been
trained for. I think this idea or a modification of it may help

Russell Jay Hendel; RHendel@Towson.Edu
Moderator Rashi is Simple; Rashi Yomi
http://www.shamash.org/rashi/