Do we want our children to be innovators, inventors and change-makers? Or do we want them to walk down the well-trodden paths of their predecessors? This question lies at the heart of modern education, particularly in the Jewish day school system, where we balance both rigorous secular studies and deep-rooted Judaic learning. Our answer must be not one approach or the other: to master ancient wisdom or to seek novelty. We must teach our children to appreciate and achieve both.
Modern society values innovation. Ambitious young people ask each other: Did you launch your own startup? Are you developing groundbreaking technology? Often referred to as the “Start-Up Nation,” Israel has led the world in technological and agricultural advancements, from drip irrigation to cybersecurity. In a world that increasingly demands innovation and creative problem-solving, how should our schools prepare our children for such expectations?
At the same time, our educational goal cannot be solely to innovate. Schools, especially Jewish day schools, must pass on timeless bodies of knowledge, including sacred texts and the Torah wisdom they impart, along with the skills to read and understand them: Chumash, Mishna, Gemara, and centuries of commentaries and literature. We must impart the vast horizons of Jewish history, whose mastery lets us and our children know who we are and where we come from.
We, of course, teach general knowledge as well: world history and literature, along with the disciplines of mathematics and science. Our students must grapple with our shared past to innovate in ways that will be useful to help shape our future.
In other words, our schools cannot teach our children to innovate without giving them a firm grounding in what the wisdom of our past teaches us, as Jews and as citizens of general society.
This week, our school is hosting an Invention Convention, where middle-school students design creative solutions to real-world problems. This type of project-based learning encourages students to think critically, to collaborate, and to apply their knowledge in meaningful ways. However, such innovation does not happen in a vacuum. A student cannot design a groundbreaking invention without a strong foundation in the basics of science, engineering, and analytical thinking. Likewise, a deep understanding of Torah allows for new insights and applications within a traditional framework.
The way we approach this question reflects how we design our curricula. If our goal is to preserve a set body of knowledge, rote memorization and repetition have their place. If our goal is to develop students who think outside the box and apply their learning creatively, project-based learning becomes essential. The reality is that these approaches are not at odds; rather, they are two sides of the same coin. One cannot innovate without first mastering the fundamentals, and knowledge that is not applied in continuing meaningful ways is knowledge that risks being forgotten.
Sefer Vayikra, traditionally the first book of Chumash that young students learn, is filled with laws of Korbanot, sacrifices that are no longer practiced in the absence of the Beit Hamikdash. Yet the Gemara tells us that by learning these laws, it is as if we have brought the Korbanot ourselves. This reflects a key Jewish value: that knowledge itself carries significance, even when it may not be immediately applicable. At the same time, our ultimate goal is not just to study but to build a world worthy of the return of the Beit Hamikdash—requiring us to recognize what needs improvement and take action to make it better.
A complete education must integrate both approaches. When we provide students with a strong foundation while also encouraging them to experiment and apply their learning, we foster both intellect and ingenuity. The challenge, particularly in dual-curriculum schools, lies in designing and implementing curricula that merge these models effectively. When students thrive in both domains, they develop into knowledgeable, capable individuals ready to lead and innovate in their future endeavors.
The balance is not an easy one, but it is still essential. We must strive to educate not students who simply memorize but who can also create novel techniques and approaches based on what the learning of the past has taught us. In this way we can hope to create future leaders who can lead society into a future which respects tradition while pushing boundaries to build a better world.
Rabbi Dani Rockoff is the head of school at Westchester Day School. He can be reached at [email protected].
