הלכות תלמוד תורה

נָשִׁים וַעֲבָדִים וּקְטַנִּים פְּטוּרִים מִתַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה. אֲבָל קָטָן אָבִיו חַיָּב לְלַמְּדוֹ תּוֹרָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יא יט) "וְלִמַּדְתֶּם אֹתָם אֶת בְּנֵיכֶם לְדַבֵּר בָּם". וְאֵין הָאִשָּׁה חַיֶּבֶת לְלַמֵּד אֶת בְּנָהּ. שֶׁכָּל הַחַיָּב לִלְמֹד חַיָּב לְלַמֵּד:

Women, slaves, and infants are absolved from the study of the Torah; but the father is obliged to instruct his infant son in the Torah, for it is said: "And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them" (Deut. 11.19); but a woman is not charged to teach her son, for only one obliged to study is obliged to instruct.

כְּשֵׁם שֶׁחַיָּב אָדָם לְלַמֵּד אֶת בְּנוֹ כָּךְ הוּא חַיָּב לְלַמֵּד אֶת בֶּן בְּנוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ד ט) "וְהוֹדַעְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ וְלִבְנֵי בָנֶיךָ". וְלֹא בְּנוֹ וּבֶן בְּנוֹ בִּלְבַד אֶלָּא מִצְוָה עַל כָּל חָכָם וְחָכָם מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל לְלַמֵּד אֶת כָּל הַתַּלְמִידִים אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינָן בָּנָיו. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ו ז) "וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ" מִפִּי הַשְּׁמוּעָה לָמְדוּ בָּנֶיךָ אֵלּוּ תַּלְמִידֶיךָ שֶׁהַתַּלְמִידִים קְרוּיִין בָּנִים שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלכים ב ב ג) "וַיֵּצְאוּ בְנֵי הַנְּבִיאִים". אִם כֵּן לָמָּה נִצְטַוָּה עַל בְּנוֹ וְעַל בֶּן בְּנוֹ. לְהַקְדִּים בְּנוֹ לְבֶן בְּנוֹ וּבֶן בְּנוֹ לְבֶן חֲבֵרוֹ:

Even as man is obliged to instruct his son, so is he obliged to teach his son's son, for it is said: "But make them known to thy sons and thy sons' sons" (Ibid. 4.9); and, not alone to his son and his son's son, but each and every scholar in Israel is commanded to instruct all who desire to be his disciples, even though they be not his sons, for it is said: "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children" (Ibid. 6.7.), which is traditionally interpreted to include one's disciples; for disciples, too, are called children, as it is said: "And the sons of the prophets came forth" (Second Kings, 2.3.). If it be so, why then was one commanded to teach his son and his son's son? To permit the precedence of one's son to one's son's son, and his son's son to the son of his fellow.