Melamed

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A Jewish father teaches his child ( Podolia )

Melamed ( Aramaic מלמד ), pl. Melamdim, are "teachers", "teachers" in Judaism who instruct children in the Torah and Talmud .

In the sense of Deuteronomy it is a duty of a community to familiarize children with the basics of Jewish tradition. This practice is already mentioned in the Talmud, according to which child teachers are to be used not only to counter illiteracy , but to keep it very low. Traditionally, a melamed was taught in a cheder , where only Torah and Talmud were taught.

In particular, the Melamdim from Poland enjoyed a high reputation until 1648. From then on they emigrated from their homeland to look for work, which was detrimental to their status.

A literary example of a melamed is Mendel Singer, the main character in the novel Job by Joseph Roth .

literature