By COLlive reporter
“Spiritual Education: The Educational Theory and Practice of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson,” a new study of the educational philosophy of the Rebbe authored by Rabbi Dr. Aryeh Solomon, is now available in paperback.
Published by Herder and Herder in its series on Jewish Spiritual Traditions and Contemporary Society, the book is based on Rabbi Solomon’s doctoral thesis which received the prestigious “Nancy Millis Excellence in Research Award” from Melbourne’s La Trobe University for an outstanding doctoral thesis.
Rabbi Solomon was educated in Sydney, Australia where he completed undergraduate studies at Sydney University and studied in yeshivos in Melbourne, USA and Israel. He and his family settled in Sydney where since 1984 he has served as College Rabbi to 1,600 students at Moriah College and is the spiritual leader of its Hugo Lowy Synagogue.
In a yechidus in 1976, the Rebbe encouraged the author, then aged 22, to proceed to post-graduate studies in Education.
Spiritual Education examines the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s extensive writings with a view to identifying whether they represent the manifestation of a cohesive and comprehensive educational philosophy.
“To qualify as an educational philosophy, there must be an overall vision that presents a view of the nature and aims of education, the authority upon which education rests, the responsibility it entails, and its recommended methodology and content with an inter-relationship between these elements,” Rabbi Solomon says.
“Moreover, all of the parts must have broad implications for educational practice and policy. The Rebbe made novel contributions in these areas which frequently surpass the limitations of popular educational thinking and he constantly emphasized their ramifications for practice and policy.”
Asked to sum up the original contribution of this book, Rabbi Solomon replies: “For the first time, Spiritual Education makes available the educational philosophy of the Rebbe to the broader readership, clearly highlighting the exceptionally wide scope of his vision. Readers will find the Rebbe’s comprehensive educational theory to be innovative, inspirational and of practical importance in their everyday lives.”
The book has received wide praise from a diverse group of educators, academics and authors.
“Rabbi Dr. Aryeh Solomon’s profound book “Spiritual Education” is an important resource for Shluchim and educators,” says Rabbi Shmuel Lew, Principal of Lubavitch Senior Girls’ School in London, UK. “For Shluchim it is a tool to present the depth of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s thought on education in general. For educators, it defines the theory and vision behind the Rebbe’s practical directives.”
Rabbi Zalman Shneur, Executive Director of the Menachem Education Foundation (MEF) in New York, says: “The Rebbe’s teachings on education, intended for all humankind, are nothing short of revolutionary. For Rabbi Solomon to take on the task of making them accessible to all educators and laypeople is an extraordinary accomplishment. This book is a must for anyone interested in education or in the Rebbe’s teachings.”
“This volume presents the definitive study of the educational philosophy of the late Rabbi Menachem Schneerson,” said New York University Professor Lawrence H. Schiffman. “Replete with quotations and references, the volume demonstrates the consistency and coherence of Rabbi Schneerson’s educational philosophy and shows how it influenced his work both in the leadership of the Chabad movement and in his program to bring Jewish observance and education to the wider Jewish community.”
While nationally syndicated radio talk show host and bestselling author Dennis Prager commented: “The last Lubavitcher Rebbe had more insight into education than all the schools of education in our society. If you want to understand why, read this book. Rabbi Aryeh Solomon has accomplished a truly important goal: to systematize and explain the Rebbe’s take on education. This is therefore a very important book for the religious and the secular, the Jew and the non-Jew. If these ideas are taken seriously by parents and teachers, we will enter a golden age in education. We are currently in a dark age.”
Rabbi Efraim Mintz, Executive Director of the The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI), said: “The author plumbs the Rebbe’s educational theory to reveal an approach grounded in seeking the inner beauty, untapped potential, and innate worth of each member of humanity, and firmly predicated on the notion of mission and responsibility imparted by the Creator. I am confident that this groundbreaking product will prove highly useful to educators, parents, and whoever hopes to gain clearer insight into the critical field of education.”
Professor William Pinar, Canadian Chair of Curriculum Studies and Professor of Education at the University of British Columbia: “Aryeh Solomon provides an impressively detailed and systematic exposition of Rabbi Schneerson’s educational theory and practice, emphasizing its cohesiveness, comprehensiveness, and distinctiveness, while marking its resemblances with the theories of iconic “secular” educational theorists, among them Howard Gardner and R.S. Peters. Solomon’s study is an exceptional achievement, one showing the world significance of Rabbi Schneerson’s insights.”
The hardcover was published in 2019. The paperback available now for $28 is sold on Amazon.com
