It is evident from the teachings of Chazal that the primary battle between kedushah and tumah concerns the development of young children before they become obligated in mitzvos. Let us begin by introducing a passage in the Midrash (ibid. 65, 20) related to the passuk (Bereishis 27, 22): "הקול קול יעקב והידים ידי עשו"—the voice is the voice of Yaakov, but the hands are the hands of Eisav:
No philosophers (wise men) arose in the world like Bilam son of Beor and like Avnimos HaGardi. All the nations of the world gathered around him (Bilam). They asked him: “Tell us, will we be successful in dealing with (harming) this nation?” He said: “Go around their synagogues and study halls. If you find children there chirping vocally (words of Torah), you will not be able to confront them. For this is what their forefather (Yitzchak) assured them when he told them: “The voice is the voice of Yaakov”—when the voice of Yaakov is found in the synagogues, the hands are not the hands of Esau (they are ineffective), but if not, “the hands are the hands of Esau”—you can overcome them.
It is evident from the counsel of the wicked Bilam that the essence of Jewish chinuch involves young schoolchildren. As explained above, a parent must initiate this process as soon as a child can utter words of Torah and recite Krias Shema. We find an incredible teaching concerning the crucial importance of teaching Torah to young schoolchildren (Shabbas 119b):
"אמר רב המנונא לא חרבה ירושלים אלא בשביל שביטלו בה תינוקות של בית רבן... אמר רב יהודה אמר רב מאי דכתיב אל תגעו במשיחי ובנביאי אל תרעו, אל תגעו במשיחי אלו תינוקות של בית רבן, ובנביאי אל תרעו אלו תלמידי חכמים. אמר ריש לקיש משום רבי יהודה נשיאה אין העולם מתקיים אלא בשביל הבל תינוקות של בית רבן, אמר ליה רב פפא לאביי דידי ודידך מאי [מה עם הבל התורה שלי ושלך], אמר ליה אינו דומה הבל שיש בו חטא להבל שאין בו חטא".
Rav Hamnuna said: Yerushalayim was only destroyed because they were remiss in the Torah-education of the schoolchildren . . . Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: What is the meaning of that which is written (Divrei HaYamim I 16, 22): “Do not touch My anointed ones, and to My prophets do no harm”? “Do not touch My anointed ones,” this refers to schoolchildren who study Torah; “and to My prophets do no harm,” this refers to Torah scholars. Reish Lakish said in the name of Rabbi Yehudah Nesiah: The world continues to exist solely in the merit of the breath of schoolchildren (the words of Torah they utter). Rav Pappa said to Abayei: Mine and yours (words of Torah), what of them? He answered him: Breath that contains (the taint of ) sin cannot be compared to breath that contains no (taint of ) sin.
The holy Admor, the Maharid of Belz, zy”a, provides us with a marvelous interpretation of the following dispute between Moshe Rabeinu and Pharaoh (Shemos 10, 8):
"ויושב את משה ואת אהרן אל פרעה ויאמר אליהם לכו עבדו את ה' אלקיכם מי ומי ההולכים, ויאמר משה בנערינו ובזקנינו נלך בבנינו ובבנותנו כי חג ה' לנו, ויאמר אליהם יהי כן ה' עמכם כאשר אשלח אתכם ואת טפכם ראו כי רעה נגד פניכם, לא כן לכו נא הגברים ועבדו את ה' כי אותה אתם מבקשים ויגרש אותם מאת פני פרעה".
Thereupon, Moshe and Aharon were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, worship Hashem, your G-d; who specifically are going?” Moshe said, “With our youngsters and with our elders, we will go, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our cattle we will go, because it is a festival of Hashem for us.” He said to them, “So may Hashem be with you when I will send you and your children! See that evil faces you. Not so, let the men go now and worship Hashem, for that is what you request.” And he chase them out from Pharaoh’s presence.
He explains in his own sacred, inimitable way—based on our sacred sources—that one of the bases of Yisrael’s continued existence is the chinuch of our sons and daughters. It is imperative that they continue to follow the ways of the holy Torah that have been handed down to us from generation to generation. It is for this reason that the yetzer hara and all the forces of tumah strive to prevent the young members of our holy flock from being educated in the ways of the Torah.
Clearly, the wicked Pharaoh was aware of this fact. Hence, when he realized that it was inevitable for him to accede to Moshe’s request—to allow Yisrael to go and worship Hashem for three days—he sought a compromise. He would allow only the men to go but would insist that the young children remain in Mitzrayim. After all, we are familiar with the aphorism: “If there are no kid goats, there will be no he-goats (leaders).” In other words, Pharaoh sought to disrupt the perpetuation of the sacred lineage of the people of Yisrael.
His malevolent intent was apparent to Moshe Rabeinu. So, he responded definitively and unequivocally: “With our youngsters and with our elders, we will go!” He emphasized that for Jews the education of our youngsters in the service of Hashem takes precedence over that of our elders, who have already been educated. This infuriated Pharaoh, so he responded angrily: “So may Hashem be with you when I will send you and your children! See that evil faces you. Not so, let the men go now and worship Hashem.” In other words, leave the young children in Mitzrayim; they are fragile; why trouble them to serve Hashem?! This concludes his sacred remarks.
We find a disturbing passage in the Yerushalmi (Sanhedrin 10, 2) concerning Achaz the King of Yehudah. He attempted to abolish the study of Torah among the people of Yisrael by shutting down the Batei Kenesses and Batei Midrash. He knew that this would prevent schoolchildren from being educated in the ways of Torah. Here is the passage:
"למה נקרא שמו אחז, שאחז בבתי כניסיות ובבתי מדרשות, למה היה אחז דומה, למלך שהיה לו בן ומסרו לפידגוגו, והיה מבקש להורגו, אמר אם אני הורגו הרי אני מיתחייב מיתה, אלא הרי אני מושך את מניקתו ממנו ומעצמו הוא מת, כך אמר אחז אם אין גדיים אין תיישים, אם אין תיישים אין צאן, אם אין צאן אין רועה, אם אין רועה אין עולם, כביכול כך היה אחז סבור בדעתו לומר, אם אין קטנים אין גדולים, אם אין גדולים אין חכמים, אם אין חכמים אין נביאים, אם אין נביאים אין רוח הקודש, אם אין רוח הקודש אין בתי כניסיות ובתי מדרשות, כביכול אין הקב"ה משרה שכינתו על ישראל".
Why was he named Achaz (the grabber)? Because he grabbed control of the Batei Kenesses and Batei Midrash. To what may Acḥaz be compared? To a king who had a son and entrusted him to his pedagogue. The latter wanted to kill him (the prince). He said, if I kill him, I will be put to death; instead, I will take his wet-nurse away from him and he will die on his own. This is what Acḥaz conjectured, “If there are no kid goats there will be no he-goats; if there are no he-goats there are no flocks (of goats); if there are no flocks of goats there is no shepherd; if there is no shepherd there is no world.” Supposedly, this is what Acḥaz was thinking: If there are no children, there are no adults; if there are no adults, there are no sages; if there are no sages, there are no prophets; if there are no prophets, there is no “ruach hakodesh”; if there I not “ruach hakodesh,” there are no Batei Kenesses or Batei Midrash. Thus, HKB”H will not rest His Shechinah on Yisrael.
