Longtime professor of psychology and education, Dr. Hersh Fried, says that the new book The Education Imperative, tells of the “Rebbe’s guidance carried the strength of certainty, but more than that, it carried within it the assurance that the questioner was capable of successfully implementing it.”
The new book, published by the Merkos Chinuch Office, was presented to the professor by Rabbi Nochem Kaplan, who compiled, adapted and annotated the collection.
Dr. Fried said that over the past century there has been an awareness of the complexity of educating children, it has been the “overreliance on experts has too often been accompanied by parents and teachers fearing to trust their own judgments and instincts.” This he explained undermines the effectiveness of the education they give to their children or students.
The Rebbe, he said, over five decades offered much guidance in education, orally or in writing to those who asked, as well as in talks on timely and practically relevant topics. It was much more than expert advice, “It carried the spark of truth which once articulated, brought the parent or teacher to realize that of course this was the right approach, the one he might have thought of himself had he been more confident in the truth.”
Dr. Fried taught at Hunter College and John Jay College, before joining Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University where he is Associate Professor of Psychology and Education. Dr. Fried is best known for his work in developing programs in Special Education for the dual curriculum Hebrew Day Schools. He has consulted to schools in Australia, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, and has trained teachers in many schools in teaching Judaic Studies.
After reading the book, he said, “I dare say that the Rebbe did not merely advise, the Rebbe taught. He enlightened and he inspired, and thus he also made people more secure and confident in their work as parents. teachers, and mashpi’im.”
The new book is available at your local Jewish bookstore and at www.RebbeOnEducation.com. Click here for bulk orders
