The Jewish Child

Rabbeinu Yitzchak Abohav, the author of Menoras Hamaor, lived in Spain in the latter half of the fourteenth century. Spain, at that time, was the glittering diamond of the European continent. It enjoyed unparalleled prosperity. The lingering influence of the Moorish occupation made it a center of enlightenment. Philo- sophy and science, poetry and art flourished as nowhere else.

Rabbeinu Yitzchak Abohav, the author of Menoras Hamaor, lived in Spain in the latter half of the fourteenth century. Spain, at that time, was the glittering diamond of the European continent. It enjoyed unparalleled prosperity. The lingering influence of the Moorish occupation made it a center of enlightenment. Philo- sophy and science, poetry and art flourished as nowhere else. The Jews of Spain found this environment very hospitable, and indeed, it was there that they achieved their highest social station since being exiled from their homeland. Through their talent and industry, the Jewish people achieved the status of a privileged class, below the nobility but above the rest of the Spanish popu- lace. Jews became the merchants and the financiers, the doctors and the poets, the philosophers and the ministers of the royal court; they became the �technocrats� of Spanish society. But in the end, they were corrupted. They became intoxicated by their unaccustomed social and economic freedom. They neglected the study of the Torah and the meticulous observance of mitzvos. Perturbed by this corruption, Rabbeinu Yitzchak Abohav ap- pealed to his people to rediscover the sweet taste of the Torah and �seek provision for their long journey into eternity.� To accom- plish this, he wrote a masterwork that encapsulated the basic elements of Judaism in a deceptively simple form, the classic Meno- ras Hamaor. In the long run, Menoras Hamaor struck a responsive chord among the Jewish people. It filled the very real need for a conciseframework for the basic tenets of Judaism. Menoras Hamaor is an �easy read� that quotes the Agada without extensive comment, relying on it to be effective on an emotional level rather than an intellectual level. As such, it became one of the most beloved and widely read works of popular inspiration in Jewish religious litera- ture. Not counting excerpts and synopses, it has appeared in seventy-six editions, originating in many cities across the Euro- pean continent, North Africa, and the Near East. This volume, The Jewish Child, is excerpted from The Light of Mitzvos. It deals with the obligations of child to parent and parent to child, focusing on the mitzvos of kibud av va�eim, honoring parents, and chinuch, bringing up children. Together, these two mitzvos form the foundation of the Jewish family.(61 Pages)

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