Yehoshua ben Gamla: Trust Fund Baby or Jewish Education Visionary?

The mishna related an incident with Yehoshua ben Gamla. The Gemara notes that the mishna states that the king appointed him, yes, but not that he was worthy of being appointed. Rav Yosef said: I see a conspiracy here, as this was clearly not a proper appointment by the priests and the Sanhedrin but rather a political appointment, as Rav Asi said: Marta bat Baitos brought a vessel the size of a half-se’a [tarkav] full of dinars to King Yannai until he appointed Yehoshua ben Gamla High Priest.

(9) He then went to the east of the Temple courtyard, to the north of the altar, the deputy High Priest at his right and the head of the [priestly] family [ministering that week] at his left. There were two goats and an urn was there, and in it were two lots. They were of boxwood and Ben Gamla made them of gold, and they would mention his name in praise.

As Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: Truly, that man is remembered for the good, and his name is Yehoshua ben Gamla. If not for him the Torah would have been forgotten from the Jewish people. Initially, whoever had a father would have his father teach him Torah, and whoever did not have a father would not learn Torah at all. The Gemara explains: What verse did they interpret homiletically that allowed them to conduct themselves in this manner? They interpreted the verse that states: “And you shall teach them [otam] to your sons” (Deuteronomy 11:19), to mean: And you yourselves [atem] shall teach, i.e., you fathers shall teach your sons. When the Sages saw that not everyone was capable of teaching their children and Torah study was declining, they instituted an ordinance that teachers of children should be established in Jerusalem. The Gemara explains: What verse did they interpret homiletically that enabled them to do this? They interpreted the verse: “For Torah emerges from Zion” (Isaiah 2:3). But still, whoever had a father, his father ascended with him to Jerusalem and had him taught, but whoever did not have a father, he did not ascend and learn. Therefore, the Sages instituted an ordinance that teachers of children should be established in one city in each and every region [pelekh]. And they brought the students in at the age of sixteen and at the age of seventeen. But as the students were old and had not yet had any formal education, a student whose teacher grew angry at him would rebel against him and leave. It was impossible to hold the youths there against their will. This state of affairs continued until Yehoshua ben Gamla came and instituted an ordinance that teachers of children should be established in each and every province and in each and every town, and they would bring the children in to learn at the age of six and at the age of seven.

(1) It is mandatory to appoint school teachers for small children in each and every state, in each and every province, and in each and every city. Any city wherein there are no children flocking to a master's house, the inhabitants thereof should be excommunicated until they do appoint teachers for the school children, if they then make no such appointment an excommunication should be pronounced against the city itself; for the world cannot endure save only by the fervent recitation of school children in the house of their master.

One must hire a tutor for their son unless they are teaching them themselves...

But the son of one's fellow - one is not obligated to pay for him on his own, but rather the community of residents is to make a Talmud Torah, as I have written.

And we force him to pay his son's teacher. And if the father is out of town and has means, if we can, we inform him that he needs to pay, and if we can't inform, we take from his account and hire a tutor for his son.

And for one's grandson, great-grandson - we force him to pay for his studies when he is able to and the child's parents are not able to, or if he doesn't have parents...

And thus, we force all city residents to establish/maintain a Talmud Torah, to place tutors there to teach the poor and orphan children. And we force this that everyone should give a donation or from the communal fund. And every city that does not have a Talmud Torah - it's end will be in destruction and we should separate from it...

And this was the custom across all of Israel - that there would be Talmud Torah schools, and the poor and orphan kids would go there, and the school would feed and dress the kids until they matured.

And lest he say: Since every city has a general Talmud Torah, if so, how could it be that a father is forced to hire a tutor for his son? Behold! The father will say, "My son will go to the Talmud Torah since I am supporting it with Tzedakah, let me son go there!"

And the answer to this: Certainly, when the father is poor, he can say this. But average joes and all the more so, rich people - they cannot have their children go to the Talmud Torahs unless they give a lot of money. This is good for the poor kids, according to the assessment of the collectors. But without this extra money, we do not allow them, for if these chiildren come to the Talmud Torah, there will not be enough space for teh poor kids. And this we teach and bring Halacha L'Maaseh