“Who is ignorant? He who does not educate his children”

-Rabbi Jonathan ben Joseph

Just as the concept of sustainability is meaningless without a next generation, so too is education. If learning is not passed on and built upon, it declines, rather than grows and progresses.

The Crosby, Stills, and Nash song, “Teach Your Children Well”, captures both the need for older generations to pass on their experience AND to learn from the vision of their children, who will live into worlds we can scarcely imagine.

We can never give the next generation everything they need to know to live into the world they will inherit. But we can equip them to think for themselves, to learn the lessons of the past and to envision the kind of future they want to create. That’s as close as it gets to an antidote for ignorance.

What can you teach a young person in your life today? What can they teach you?

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Jonathan ben Joseph was a Lithuanian rabbi and astronomer who lived in Risenoi, Grodno in the late 17th century and early 18th century. Jonathan studied astronomy and mathematics.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. Send him your favorite teaching quote for commentary. He can be reached at joe.laur@godsdog.net.