Rabbi Shmuel Lew has been a Chabad shliach and educator in London, England for over fifty years. At the start of Shnas Hachinuch in 1976, about 40 years ago, he was appointed principal of Lubavitch Senior Girl’s School (LSGS) were he has served ever since.
In honor of the 40th anniversary of Shnas Hachinuch and inspired by the upcoming Chabad Chinuch Convention, Rabbi Lew reflects on the Rebbe’s Chinuch philosophy and its application over four decades in education.
Join the convention and celebrate this incredible milestone at mymef.org/kinus.
As told to Rena Udkoff.
The Rebbe loved Chinuch. It is an obvious statement, but it bears repeating. So many times as Chabadniks or as Shluchim, we are focused on Shlichus. But Shluchim is only who we are – Chinuch is what we do. The Rebbe’s work was intrinsically connected to Mivtza Chinuch, which can be inferred from the very name “Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch”, or even seeing his incredible influence on the secular world, which is recognized by American presidents every Yud Aleph Nissan since 1978 (just two years after Shnas Hachinuch) as Education and Sharing Day.
The following are some key points about the Rebbe’s very unique take on Chinuch:
Positive, but not Permissive
The Rebbe’s Chinuch philosophy can be gleaned from his repeated instructions to teach “Bidarchei noam uvitikuf hamatim”, in a pleasant manner with the necessary firm boundaries. In numerous places in Likutei Sichos, the Rebbe emphasized that all Chinuch dealings need to be done in a positive way, an attitude that was always necessary throughout the generations, but is needed now more than ever.
The focus on teaching with positivity and “pleasantness” may lead some people to think that means not having standards or boundaries. This is a mistake, as that would be permissiveness, and permissiveness is neglect. Positivity, on the other hand, is working with each person in a constructive and steadfast way, recognizing each person as a worthy individual, and knowing the exact way to get through to each one.
Striving for the Ideal, Dealing with the Reality
When it comes to educating our children, there is an ideal that we constantly have to work towards, but there is no ultimatum. It cannot be you toe the line or you are out. A mashpia and mechanech today needs to strive towards the ideal Chinuch, but must deal with the actual children where they are, by creating a loving approach that will bring their pupils closer to the ideal.
There is a recurring theme in the Rebbe’s writings that there are three influences in a child’s life: his home, school, and environment. Today, the other systems have weakened and it is the school’s responsibility to fill in for any lack of hashpaa in the other two arenas.
Teacher Training with Purpose
Throughout the Rebbe’s response dating back to 1960, one can find numerous directives that teachers in Chabad schools should have more training. While basic teacher training is an absolute necessity, the finer points of professional development are desirable but not as crucial.
What is absolutely crucial is that the mechanchim must be inspired, and act as a living example for their students and thus have the ability to inspire them in Torah and Mitzvos during the formative school years.
In today’s chaotic and confusing world, we need to not only give our children the tools to resist what is out there, but to thrive as Chassidim. These traits can only come from people who are committed and dedicated to Chinuch, with an inner drive to inspire the next generation. It is these unteachable traits, that are key to success.
Registration closes today at 5pm. Go to mymef.org/kinus to register.
