לא תקיפו פאת ראשכם… (קדושים יט:כז)

It was of great concern for the Freirdiga Rav, Reb Yisochor Dov of Belz zt”l, to ensure that Jewish education remains steadfast to its tradition.

A Chassid once arrived with his young son to hand over a Kvittel to the Rebbe. The Rebbe noticed the shortened sidelocks adorning the boy’s face and asked the father repeatedly: “Is this your son?” The father, fully understanding his Rebbe’s questioning, tried to explain that nowadays, times have changed. One cannot follow through all the stringencies like years of old. To this, the Rebbe said: “I always wondered why in the second paragraph of the Shema, the Pasuk that contains the Mitzva of teaching one’s child “ולמדתם אותם את בניכם“ is between the commandment of Tefillin and the Mitzvah of Mezuzah.  Wouldn’t it have been more practical to place these two Mitzvos together without being interrupted by the commandment to teach one’s children?”

Continued the Rebbe, without taking his gaze off from the Chassid:“Just as we keep the laws of Tefillin and Mezuzos exactly as they were given to us at Har Sinai by Moshe Rabeinu, when he descended from Mount Sinai – so too with children’s education: no change or compromise is allowed!”