13 Jul PARASHAT HUKAT: MEETING A CHILD’S UNIQUE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

Parashat Hukat

begins with the

famous law of Para

Aduma, the red

cow that was

burned and its

ashes mixed with

water that would be

used to purify those who came in contact with

a human corpse. Contact with a human corpse

results in a status of Tum’a (impurity), and in

order to regain his status of Tahara (purity),

the person would have to be sprinkled with

the special water prepared with the ashes of

the Para Aduma.

The most unusual feature of the Para Aduma

is the opposite effect the water had on

different people. When a Kohen sprinkled the

water on a person who was Tameh, the person

would thereby become Tahor, whereas those

involved in preparing the purifying waters

become Tameh. And thus the Para Aduma

waters would bring purity to those who were

impure, and bring impurity to those who were

pure.

The Torah introduces this section with the

words “Zot Hukat Ha’Torah” – “This is the

statute of the Torah.” Rather than introducing

this discussion as the laws of the Para Aduma,

the Torah instead describes these laws as

“Hukat Ha’Torah.” It seems that the special

properties of the Para Aduma are relevant not

only to the particular context of Tum’a and

Tahara, but more generally, to the entire

Torah.

Indeed, the concept of something being

beneficial for one person but detrimental to

another is truly the “statute of the Torah,” a

fundamental rule about Torah education. The

same school and educational approach which

works wonders for one child would be

destructive for another. Just as the Para

Aduma waters purify some and contaminate

others, similarly, an educational method can

be “purifying” and uplifting for some students

but worthless or even harmful for others. This

is the “Hukat Ha’Torah” – that each student’s

needs must be individually assessed. We

cannot use Torah education as a cookie-cutter

trying to turn every child into the exact same

kind of adult. This would be going against the

“Hukat Ha’Torah,” the fundamental rule that

a system which is right for one person is

wrong for another.

Unfortunately, I have met many parents who

make their educational choices for their

children based on considerations that have

little, if anything, to do with the children’s

individual needs. Too often, parents choose a

school or yeshiva in Israel not to meet the

child’s needs, but to meet their own needs.

They might be embarrassed to tell their

friends that their child attends school X, and

will score points by proudly reporting that the

child attends school Y. They might be

concerned about a stigma associated with a

certain school that best suits their child, and

refuse to enroll the child in that school. They

might have connections in a prestigious

institution that they can leverage to have their

child admitted, even though it is clearly the

wrong choice for that child.

This problem is especially common when it

comes to children with special needs. I recall

one incident involving a child who was not

speaking at the age of four, and the parents

were reluctant to enroll their child in an

institution specializing in this particular area

because of their fear of a stigma. Rather than

provide the child with the most suitable and

beneficial framework, the parents were

instead worried about their reputation.

The lesson of the Para Aduma is the “Hukat

Ha’Torah” – the rule we must follow in

educating our children. Our decisions must be

made based solely on the individual needs of

the child, not on the needs of anybody else.

This way we ensure that each and every child

receives the “purification” he or she needs and

grows to become a devoted member of Am

Yisrael.