Jewish education (Hebrew: חינוך, Chinuch) refers to the teaching and transmission of Judaism through religious texts, values and traditions that are being passed down from generations. For Jews, education has played a significant role since ancient times, beginning with learning at home. Over time, Jewish education has developed into a more formal setting like cheder and yeshiva specifically where study has become a part of daily life and cultural identity. In today's society Jewish education has taken many forms from day schools, Hebrew schools and adult learning. There remains a strong emphasis on continuing Jewish education to connect individuals and help adapt to needs and values of a more modernized Jewish life.
History Jewish education has been valued since the birth of Judaism. In the Hebrew Bible Abraham is lauded for instructing his offspring in God's ways. One of the basic duties of Jewish parents is to provide for the instruction of their children as set forth in the first paragraph of the Shema Yisrael prayer: "Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead; inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and your gates" (Deut. 6:6-9). Additionally, children are advised to seek the instruction of their parents: "Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations; ask thy father, and he will declare unto thee, thine elders, and they will tell thee" (Deut. 32:7). The Book of Proverbs also contains many verses related to education: "My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your mind retain my commandments; For they will bestow on you length of days, years of life and well-being" (Prov. 3:1-2).
Elementary school learning was considered compulsory by Simeon ben Shetah in 75 BCE and by Joshua ben Gamla in 64 CE. The education of older boys and men in a beit midrash can be traced back to the Second Temple period. The Talmud, states that children should begin school at six, and should not be kept from education by other tasks.
According to Judah ben Tema, "At five years the age is reached for studying Mikra, at ten for studying the Mishnah, at thirteen for fulfilling the mitzvoth, at fifteen for studying Talmud" (Avot 5:21). Mikra refers to the written Torah, Mishnah refers to the complementary oral Torah (the concise and precise laws dictating how the written Torah's commandments are achieved) and Talmud refers to comprehension of the oral and written law's unity and contemplation of the laws. The term "Talmud" used here is a method of study and is not to be confused by the later compilations by the same name. In keeping with this tradition, Jews established their own schools or hired private tutors for their children until the end of the 18th century. Schools were housed in annexes or separate buildings close to the synagogue.
Rabban Gamaliel, the son of Rabbi Judah Hanasi said that the study of the Torah is excellent when combined with Derech Eretz, worldly occupation, for toil in them both keeps sin out of one's mind; But [study of the] Torah which is not combined with a worldly occupation, in the end comes to be neglected and becomes the cause of sin.Pirkei Avot 2:2
Archaeological evidence from Herodium has also been read as pointing to bilingual elite tutoring during the late Second Temple period. Archaeologist Avner Ecker identifies several inscriptions from the theatre and palace areas as possible evidence for the presence of teachers and students, while one room adjoining the theatre may have occasionally served as a classroom. Their low height (none exceeding 1.5 metres) together with their content, led Ecker to suggest that some were written by children. The evidence includes alphabet exercises in Greek and Hebrew/Aramaic, with the Hebrew/Aramaic examples preserved on an ostracon in two distinct hands, possibly representing a teacher's model and a student's copy. At least some of the Aramaic instruction appears to have been practical, possibly involving the writing of documents, as suggested by an inscription containing a date formula giving the day and month, year, and place (Jerusalem). Ecker also notes evidence for the study of Homeric material.
Formality of Jewish Education Sex segregation
Jewish education has traditionally included sex segregation, in which boys and girls were often taught separately to help reflect different educational expectations. Jewish boys received instruction in Hebrew and later the Talmud, with study usually occurring in settings such as the cheder or yeshiva. Girls' education was more heavily focused on practical skills and religious practices to help support their family. During the early 20th century, these social and education expectations changed, which opened many opportunities for girls. Formal Jewish schools were established, which allowed for a more formal approach to religious and general studies. Depending on the specific branch of Judaism, there are now different approaches to teaching girls and boys. In many Orthodox communities, gender-segregated education is seen as a way to create learning environments that reduce social stress and provide more help to students' religious development. These schools also want to reduce the amount of distraction that happens between girls and boys during adolescent years.
Primary schooling The Talmud (Tractate Bava Bathra 21a) attributes the institution of formal Jewish education to the first century sage Joshua ben Gamla. Prior to this, parents taught their children informally. Ben Gamla instituted schools in every town and made education compulsory from the age of 6 or 7. The Talmud attaches great importance to the "Tinokot shel beth Rabban" (the children [who study] at the Rabbi's house), stating that the world continues to exist for their learning and that even for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, classes are not to be interrupted (Tractate Shabbat 119b).
Yeshiva
In ancient times, Jewish learning often took place in small groups where students gathered around a teacher or rabbi to study and discuss religious teachings. These early study circles focused mainly on the Torah and the oral traditions that were passed down long before they were written into the Mishnah. Students learned by asking questions, debating ideas, and listening to interpretations, creating a learning style centered on discussion. Local communities supported this kind of study, encouraging young people who showed interest or ability to continue learning. Over time, these informal gatherings developed into more organized schools that would eventually become the early foundations of the yeshiva.
Antiquity In Mishnaic and Talmudic times young men were attached to a beth din (court of Jewish law), where they sat in three rows and progressed as their fellow students were elevated to sit on the court.
After the formal court system was abolished, yeshivot became the main places for Torah study. The Talmud itself was composed largely in the yeshivot of Sura and Pumbedita in Babylonia, and the leading sages of the generation taught there. Until the 19th century, young men generally studied under the local rabbi, who was allocated funds by the Jewish community to maintain a number of students. The Hasidic masters and the Lithuanian rabbi Chaim Volozhin both founded centralised yeshivot; see Yeshiva#History.
Modernity
Yeshivot have remained of central importance in the Orthodox community to this day. Presently, there are numerous yeshivot - particularly in the US and Israel, but, in general, wherever there is an established Orthodox community. The idea of Yeshivas have always been popular in Orthodox communities in modern times.
Currently, the largest Yeshiva organization in the US is Yeshiva University, which is in New York City. It offers both religious and secular degrees, as is also the case for many other yeshivas both in Israel and the US. In Israel, the largest yeshiva is Mir Yeshiva. In the 20th century, Hesder (Israeli Religious Zionist) and Modern Orthodox yeshivot were also founded. In all of these communities, yeshiva study is common, with young men (and women in a midrasha) spending several years post high school studying Torah. In the Haredi / Hasidic communities, their study often spans decades.
In October 2022 the Israel Democracy Institute was able to compile a 200-page bibliography of research on Israeli Haredim. Many people in Haredi communities believe that this was a targeted attack, since the bibliography was seen as obsessive by many. Some believe this idea gained traction due to the New York Times article "In Hasidic Enclaves, Failing Private Schools Flush with Public Money," which was written by Eliza Shapiro and Brian M. Rosenthal. The criticism of the article expressed that if this was to happen in the US they would not have more than a page or two on a study.
Education researchers have discussed how contemporary Orthodox Jewish education addresses challenges posed by contradictions between rabbinic literature and external historical sources. Five key tools have been identified—exclusion, allegorization, synthesis, accommodation, and rejection—that educators can use to reconcile these discrepancies while maintaining respect for tradition and intellectual integrity. The choice of method depends on the educational context, audience, and school culture, with strictly Orthodox settings favoring exclusion or allegorization to preserve rabbinic authority, and Modern Orthodox or academic environments being more open to synthesis, accommodation, or even rejection of certain claims. This line of research stresses the importance of balancing the Jewish value of seeking truth with communal norms, enabling educators to navigate complex historical questions in a way that strengthens students' faith and critical thinking. Such an approach can be a valuable resource for understanding how Orthodox Jewish education engages with historical and theological challenges in the modern era.
There have been many changes in the yeshivas due to the advancement of technology. This includes the use of online libraries of Torah studies, which became popular during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic as many yeshivas were forced to pivot online. This created a new model of Torah study that blends traditional and modern traditions. The funding of these modern schools rely on donations, which means that yeshivas do not have a strong stable financial stability. Non-orthodox streams have yeshivot also, although these are intended (almost entirely) for Rabbinic preparation. Their syllabi similarly depart from the traditional ideals.
A 2023 census of supplemental Jewish education in the United States and Canada reported that enrollment in Hebrew schools fell by at least 45 percent between 2006 and 2020, even as the estimated number of Jewish children in the United States increased. The report also identified growth in some nontraditional programs and in schools operated by the Chabad-Lubavitch movement; Chabad's share of supplemental-school enrollment CKids rose from 4 percent to 10 percent, and its share of schools from 13 percent to 21 percent, during the same period.
Secular education emphasis In the 21st century, critics in both the United States and Israel have protested that (some) Haredi and Hasidic yeshivas are teaching religious studies to the exclusion of secular subjects such as mathematics and science. This Haredi aversion to secular studies manifests differently in Israel and outside Israel.