Page 28 - HaMizrachi #6 TuBishvat 5779

Elazar Granot

The Beauty

OF AGRICULTURAL

EDUCATION

av Kook spoke extensively the rendering of a tool as ready for its The soil of Eretz Yisrael becomes a
about the fact that agriculture purpose. Educating a person is therefore source of educational success and
R in the Land of Israel is not bringing out his or her potential and spiritual healing, not to mention the
solely for economic purposes, but rather powers, realizing their inner skills, and values and discipline it instills in the
functions on a much higher, spiritual guiding them to use them for the benefit youth, which will serve them well as they
level: of others. grow older.

“The building of the Land, the basic Education and agriculture appear to be Indeed, Rav Kook explained that there
foundation, agriculture, exists among all very different fields (pun intended), would be a higher and more innovative
nations; it is a simple economic and vital but of course agriculture is also about level of Torah study in Eretz Yisrael,
factor. But this is the nation which is the Holy sowing the seeds, bringing out the which will be more advanced than in the
of Holies, and its land and language, and all potential. exile and carry a corresponding level of
its values, are holy. Because the entire nation faith. This then will lead to a visceral
personifies the sacred expression of humanity, In recent years, a number of initiatives understanding of the spiritual dangers
so all of its agriculture too is saturated with in Israel have been combining education of materialism, which will make us yearn
holiness.” 1 and agriculture. High school students for a return to the labors of the land, but
work in the fields and orchards in the in a different, more exalted way than our
In other words, agriculture is the essence morning and continue their Torah and ancestors. Our lot will no longer exist
of Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael. The academic studies in the afternoon and of sorrow and the sweat of our brow but
Jewish people are a nation of farmers evening. The farmers certainly benefit rather an abundance of blessings and the
and their work is holy. After the exile, from these enthusiastic and motivated taste of the Garden of Eden.
when non-Jews wished to distance those young workers, even if they only work a
Jews who remained in the Land, they half day. I think we are on the way, because when
forbade them to work in agriculture. you ask these 15-16 year-olds why they
When the Jewish people do not work in And the children? Well, there are many are prepared to get up so early every
agriculture, they are not keeping Torah children who cannot sit for a whole morning and work so hard, they all
laws such as tithes, first fruits, leaving day in the classroom. They yearn for give you the same answer: satisfaction,
something in the fields for the poor, etc. the outdoors. And a student who has meaning, pride, teamwork, and a sense
This detaches them from the source of worked half a day picking bananas or of achievement every single day.
their spiritual vitality and they become a pruning loquat trees will come to class
nation like all other nations. much calmer, motivated and full of a
sense of satisfaction. Such a youngster, 1 Ma’amarei HaReayah, Yom HaBikkurim,
Education is another foundation upon who perhaps has not experienced much Zman Matan Torateinu.
which a country’s economy rests. The joy in his or her academic studies, will
author of Chovat HaTalmidim says suddenly discover skills, strengths and
that the Hebrew word for education successes through their agricultural
ְ
– ךּוּנ ִ ח – comes from the word ה ָּ כּונ ֲ ח labor. Their self-worth and confidence
– completion ( ַ ח ֵּ ב ְז ִּ מ ַ ה ת ַּ כּונ ֲ ח – the rise, and the results they see in the
completion of the altar, תִי ָּ ב ת ַּ כּונ ֲ ח – fields give them a sense of pride and Elazar Granot is the principal of Tlamim,
the completion of one’s home). ה ָּ כּונ ֲ ח achievement that overflows into the an agricultural yeshiva high school in
is, in fact, the completion of a task, or classroom. Yemin Orde

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