According to the A Torah Minute (http://www.atorahminute.com/ for 19 December 2010 by Rabbi Ya'aqob Menashe of Midrash Ben Ish Hai, "It says in the Gemara of Qiddushin (29a) that one of the obligations upon a father is to teach his son Torah, as it says, "And you shall teach your sons" (Debarim 11:19)."
The rabbi states that "A father must fulfill this commandment by teaching his son himself at night. And if this is not possible, then at the very least he must do so on Shabbath and Yamim Tobim (Holy Days)."
This is not an "Ashkenazi" or "Sefardi/Mizrachi" thing, nor is it an "Orthodox," "Conservative," "Reform," or anything else thing; it is a Jewish obligation.
While I agree with the rabbi, I think he missed the proverbial boat, or perhaps he is addressing a different audience.
I can remember going to a synagogue on Sunday morning and watching as fathers dumped their children off at "Jewish school" and then went on their way to the golf course or wherever. Parking the car and "making minyan" was not on their agenda.
Likewise, I see youngsters today running around the "shul" while their fathers chat with other men and their mothers, upstairs, hold social hour with other wives, all during the time for prayer.
In both cases, we are teaching our children.
Unfortunately, we are teaching them disrespect for the religion and, by extension, everything "Jewish."
It's no wonder that so many Jews are Jews in name only; "accidents of birth" who were it not for a Jewish mother would have no connection at all to any form of Judaism.
It is not enough to send our children to an afternoon "Jewish" school or even to a Jewish day school.
It is not enough to send our children to a "professional Jew" - a hazan, rabbi, or other "paid-to-be- Jewish" person to learn a haftarah by rote. It is not enough to sit our child down in front of TropeTrainer or other software that teaches ta'amim (trope), and it is not enough to insist that our children learn Hebrew if it's never used - never read or spoken in the home.
Yes, I know not every Jewish adult can read or speak Hebrew, but every Jewish adult with a child or grandchild SHOULD try to learn with the children. Moreover we, parents and grandparents, need to inculcate into the children a love of learning and a pride in our heritage, something beyond bagel and Memunah Judaism.
OK - so you don't know Hebrew and you don't make it to synagogue on Shabat, but mothers can AT LEAST light Shabat candles and fathers can AT LEAST recite the kiddish - and maybe bless the children as well.
Can't find time to make a minyan on Shabat? Perhaps there is time to sit with the children and at least recite the Shema (and when everyone is "up to speed" on the Shema maybe add the Amedah).
We can hire all the teachers available, but until fathers and mothers become involved in Judaism - something more than social hour and Sunday bagels - we fail to teach our children Torah, for before we can teach Torah, we must learn, understand, and practice what the Torah teaches.
