Teaching our children well: pedagogy, religion, and the future of philosophy

Cross Currents, Wntr, 2004 by Claire Elise Katz

The midrash is not simply rabbinic commentary on the Torah. Because of the problems inherent in the Biblical Hebrew--for example, the absence of punctuation and vowels (although there are vowel aspirations)--midrash exposes the problems while providing only a "plain" reading of the narrative. But midrash is not simply a tool for reading a story. The Bible is a holy text, and the rabbis believe that through midrash, that is, through their interpretative process, the holy voice of God as alterity opens itself up to us. Levinas also holds this view. Midrash opens up the voices in the Torah that are muted in the text, either because they are explicitly absent from the narrative structure or because the narrative structure lacks clarity. Midrash lifts these voices out of the text and then brings them to bear on the narrative. By enabling our access to these others, midrash brings us closer to the ethical and, thus, closer to God. While I am not proposing that we introduce a conventional notion of God into the public schools, I am proposing that we expose our students to the idea of alterity--to other voices and especially to the idea that there are voices in the text and in the world that are often muted if not outright silenced.

In "Antihumanism and Education" Levinas claims the following:

       It is not because the Western Jews detached themselves from
       Judaism that Jewish education became deprived of meaning; it is
       because Jewish education submitted itself in advance to the
       humanities that Judaism became conscious again of having
       certainly played a part in the birth of values which had fallen
       into the public domain and been embellished by European culture,
       but also of no longer representing anything of current affairs."
       (25)

In other words, the so-called secular humanism that many secularists advance, even advance within the context of public school, is actually Jewish at its very core. Thus, ironically, it appears that religion has nothing unique to offer, since it has already been taken up into the very values of the culture--even if disguised in a secular mask.

So rather than recoil in horror that a religious text might be introduced into a so-called secular environment, we might want to consider what this introduction could offer. Again, I am not suggesting that we proselytize; nor am I suggesting that we ask children in public schools to keep kosher or to pray. To move in this direction would, in fact, be antithetical to Judaism itself. Judaism's "theology" does not include dogmatism. Judaism does not focus on what one believes but rather on how one acts. Thus, the significance of the 613 commandments is important for those who want to practice Judaism. Nonetheless, its focus on action should not be underestimated with regard to pedagogical efficacy. Thus, I am suggesting that we introduce students to a kind of reading that will increase sensitivity to others rather than encouraging their numbness. Additionally, we must admit, just like philosophy must admit, that even public schools have at least an ambivalent relationship to religion. As long as there is discussion about teaching values, we must admit that there is a religious discourse implicit in classroom activity. I argue for this "Jewish" approach to reading because Judaism divides ethical behavior from religious behavior. Observant Jews are required to uphold 613 commandments. But Judaism recognizes that there are multiple paths to God, holiness, and righteousness. And it recognizes that while some may choose to be Jews, ethical behavior--treating others in a certain manner--is required of everyone, regardless of his/her religious beliefs. One does not need to choose Judaism in the strict sense of it as a religion in order to be ethically accountable. The Jewish religion explicitly acknowledges righteous behavior and responsibility that is separate from the practice of Judaism as such. And so I would argue that this "Jewish" way of reading is compatible with the aims of public education. (26)