The modern era presents us with many challenges, especially when it comes to educating the younger generation about values and faith. The infinite availability of information and the complexity of spiritual questions require deep and creative thinking from parents and educators.
In a thought-provoking podcast on the website "HaKol HaYehudi" (The Jewish Voice), Rabbi David Samson was invited for what turned out to be a fascinating discussion on this topic. Rabbi Samson is a highly respected figure in religious education and the founder of numerous groundbreaking educational institutions in Israel, including Maale Erev, Genoglee, and the Jerusalem Torah Academy (YTA). Rabbi Samson travelled around the world visiting the most successful high schools in building his overview of teaching. He has over two decades of experience guiding “youth at risk.” He learned Torah for twelve years at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva under the tutelage of HaRav Tzvi Yehuda Kook, taught Gemara at the “Yashlatz” High School Yeshiva for thirty years, with stints at Machon Meir, and the advanced yeshivot in Kiriat Arba, Beit-El, and the Kollel of Rabbi Goren in the Old City. He also found time to serve as a synagogue Rabbi in Har Nof. He has written several commentaries on the writings of Rabbi Kook and is the author of several Kabbalistic studies, most recently a multi-volume study on the teachings of Rabbi Avraham Abulafi. Our conversation took place against the backdrop of the re-release of the illustrated Hebrew book "The Kuzari Adapted for Young Readers" by Tzvi Fishman, which aims to make the profound ideas of this foundational work accessible to both younger readers and their parents.
What Makes an Educator Meaningful and Influential?
We asked Rabbi Samson, after so many years and initiatives in the world of education, what he believes makes a person a meaningful and influential educator.
Rabbi Samson emphasized that the core essence of an educator lies in their deep connection to God. According to him, a true educator lives with a constant awareness of "Yirat Shamayim" (awe of Heaven), while at the same time keeping their other eye on their students with the goal of connecting them to the goodness that they themselves experience in their relationship with the Creator. He stressed that this dual connection—to God and to students—is the key to successful education. The stronger these connections are, the greater the educator’s ability to influence.
To illustrate this point, Rabbi Samson shared a significant anecdote. He recalled asking Rabbi Nehemiah Goldberg: "How can we make students love learning Gemara?" Rabbi Goldberg’s answer was both simple and profound: "Students will love the Gemara and will want to engage with it when they see how much their Rabbi loves it." He explained that enthusiasm and love are contagious, and an educator who is genuinely connected to what he or she teaches will naturally pass on that connection to their students.
Is Love Alone Enough?
But is emotional love for learning enough? The conversation then turned to the tension in education between the need for students to exert effort and invest in their studies versus the need to make learning accessible—especially in an age where young people's patience and attention spans may be different.
Rabbi Samson did not see this as a contradiction. He argued that in the essence of education, there is no room for theoretical debate. The goal is clear—to educate. To achieve this, students must be continuously challenged, but in the right measure. He emphasized that education is an art, not a technical formula.
To illustrate, he used the analogy of a recipe: a skilled chef and an ordinary person may use the same ingredients, but the quality of the final dish depends on expertise and intuition. The same applies to education—the skill and sensitivity of the educator determine the success of the teaching process.
Sometimes, You Have to Learn on a Jeep
Rabbi Samson shared an extraordinary personal story about the establishment of Yeshivat Lech Lecha, a unique yeshiva that operated on jeeps.
He recounted that the initiative began after encountering a female student who suffered from clinical depression whenever she entered a school building. As a solution, they tried studying outside the school walls, in an open environment—and the results exceeded expectations.
This success led to the idea of creating a yeshiva for boys and girls who struggled with the traditional school framework. They built classrooms on jeeps, with ramim (spiritual mentors) who also served as jeep drivers. Over time, they adapted the method to include structured learning of both Gemara and mathematics. It became clear that alongside eternal values and Torah study, flexibility and creativity are also essential in finding ways to reach students.
What Principles of Faith Should Be Taught to the Younger Generation?
Rabbi Samson focused on two key aspects.
1. The how is more important than the what.
He emphasized the importance of the way messages are conveyed over the importance of the content itself. Many parents face questions and challenges from their children regarding faith, and the key is to set clear boundaries without harming love and empathy.
He shared difficult cases where he had to remove students from yeshiva, but he always did so with care and concern for their needs. Similarly, he explained how parents can set firm boundaries for their children while continuing to lovingly support and guide them.
2. The principle of “Torah from within Am Yisrael.”
Rabbi Samson learned this concept from his teacher, Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook. He explained that the core philosophy of the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva was Torah study through a broad national perspective—understanding that God’s choice of the Jewish people came before the giving of the Torah.
This naturally led to a discussion about The Kuzari, in which the first essay focuses on the essence of the Jewish People before delving into the essence of the Torah. Rabbi Samson explained that this perspective is particularly evident in the Religious-Zionist community which integrates Torah study with military service and full participation in the State of Israel in all of its facets, based on the belief that Torah is not detached from the life of the nation.
He even shared a story about Rabbi Shlomo Goren, who refused to convert a man who wanted to observe all the mitzvot but refused to be part of the Jewish People.
"Your Relationship with God Will Be Like Your Relationship with Your Father"
One of the most striking points in the conversation was Rabbi Samson’s perspective on the relationship between a father and son as a model for the relationship between a person and God. He explained that a person’s primary and most formative relationship—the one with their father—deeply influences their perception of their relationship with God. According to Rabbi Samson, if a person experiences a father who is overly authoritative, rigid, or lacking empathy, it may shape their view of God as distant, judgmental, or even angry. Conversely, a warm, loving, and supportive relationship with a father can create a foundation for faith in a compassionate, close, and accepting God.
Rabbi Samson emphasized that parents, especially fathers, bear a heavy responsibility in shaping their children's faith through the relationships they maintain with them. He even suggested that this father-child relationship affects more than just faith—it influences other areas of a child's life, such as their ability to solve math problems. He urged parents to prioritize healthy and positive relationships with their children before focusing on teaching them faith. As a practical tool, he reiterated a simple principle: in conversations with children, listen 80% of the time and speak only 20%. This ratio serves as a good indicator of a healthy parent-child relationship.
"We Grow in Faith Through Our Children's Faith"
Towards the end of the conversation, the question arose: does the process of teaching and making faith accessible—such as the effort put into The Kuzari for Young Readers—also impact the parents or educators themselves?
Rabbi Samson responded with an emphatic yes. He quoted Rabbi David Cohen (the Nazir), who insisted on hearing questions from students before beginning a lesson, and explained that joint learning fosters deep and meaningful connections.
He even shared a personal experience from a visit to Disneyland, where he reflected on the messages conveyed to children. This made him realize the immense value of teaching meaningful content, like that found in The Kuzari, both for children and for parents.
Conclusion
The conversation with Rabbi David Samson reinforced a truth we understand in theory but often struggle to implement with students and our own children—that faith education is not just about transmitting information but is a profound, multi-dimensional process that begins with our own personal connection to faith.
This process flows through meaningful connections with students and is significantly grounded in healthy family relationships, where the father-son bond serves as a model for one’s relationship with God.
[“The Kuzari Adapted for Young Readers” is available at: https://www.dshir.co.il/product/18207]
