The Rabbi Who Built a Talmud Torah with His Own Hands: "If You Love the Children, You Can Educate Them"

What do you do if you want to send your son to a Talmud Torah, but there isn't one in your city or even in a nearby city? This was the exact question Rabbi Yisrael Azoulay asked himself about ten years ago.

Rabbi Azoulay, who has been living in Kiryat Shmona since his childhood, says he knows the schools in the city well. "I myself studied in a secular school in Kiryat Shmona because I did not come from an observant family originally. But precisely because I knew what it was like and what the education in those institutions was like, I refused to send my children to them."

Indeed, Rabbi Azoulay notes that his personal journey of becoming more observant began after his military service; it was a period when he started attending lectures and seeking the truth. As part of this, he also embarked on a journey to explore his roots and heard fascinating stories about his grandfather, who lived in Morocco and was a scribe, a shochet, and also a teacher in a Talmud Torah.

The first class, kindergarten age 4, year 2005

"The stories I heard about my grandfather strengthened me a lot throughout the journey," he notes. "They were essentially what brought me closer to Judaism, so when my son turned three, I realized that if there was no Talmud Torah in the entire city to accept him, I would simply need to take my grandfather's skills and establish a Talmud Torah with my own hands. That's how I decided to take on the challenge."

With Three Students

Rabbi Azoulay's next step involved probing. "I tried to find out what it would mean to set up a Talmud Torah in the city and what it would require of me. Everywhere I asked, they told me it wasn’t worth it, and even my family tried to dissuade me from the idea, which seemed crazy to them. But it seems the trait of stubbornness was inside me, and I didn’t give up. During those days, I also visited Rabbi Yaakov Chaim Sofer from the Kaf HaChaim Yeshiva and consulted with Rabbi Reuven Elbaz from the Or HaChaim Yeshiva, and both encouraged and pushed me to carry out my decision. That's when I made the final decision to go ahead."

With Rabbi Reuven Elbaz, head of Or HaChaim Yeshiva

In those days, Rabbi Azoulay didn’t have a building, so he asked for permission to conduct classes in a small room in the women's section of the synagogue. He renovated the room a bit, and after knowing he would have a place to house the students, he allowed himself to open registration.

"The registration wasn’t large," he notes. "In fact, for the first school year, only my son and two other children enrolled, all aged three to four. I was also the teacher, the principal, the melamed, and the musician, oh, and the janitor too. All my family members laughed, and among friends, I was considered a joke. Everyone was one hundred percent certain that the Talmud Torah would soon close."

Rabbi Yaakov Chaim Sofer, head of Kaf HaChaim Yeshiva, guiding the Talmud Torah, then visiting the Talmud Torah

But not only did the Talmud Torah not close, soon everyone started noticing that the three small children were showing remarkable achievements. They shared amazing things about the weekly Torah portion at the Shabbat table and also knew math, Hebrew, and various concepts. "When I announced at the end of the year that I was opening another class, six students joined, and then I decided to open two separate classes. I brought in another melamed to teach the children aged five and up, and I taught the younger children. During that year, additional students joined us, and in the end, there were 15 children—half with me and half with the other teacher."

Each year, the Talmud Torah continued to expand. First-grade was opened, then second and third grades, and so on, year after year until it eventually became an institution with one hundred and twenty children from kindergarten to eighth grade.

Over the years, Rabbi Azoulay continued to gain expertise, completed a bachelor's and a master's degree in education, and also worked to strengthen families living in the city. "The moment of greatest satisfaction was last year when six wonderful students left the Talmud Torah for the sacred yeshivas in Tiberias, Jerusalem, and Beit Shemesh," he says with excitement. "*With Hashem's* help, this year, four more excellent students will go to yeshivas in Tiberias and Hadera."

Love the Torah Through Stories

During the last year, Rabbi Azoulay no longer serves as the head of the Talmud Torah in Kiryat Shmona. He chose to take his unique approach towards children and channel it into another avenue—writing unique books. Educational books, written in clear and easy language that children can love.

"Throughout all the years I was an educator, I noticed that a very effective way to influence children is through stories about Torah. Such stories can be more beneficial than any educational lesson. I knew I wanted to capitalize on this, but it wasn’t clear how," he says and continues to tell: "During last year's Passover, I sat with my extended family around one table. The family is composed of both secular and religious members, and I noticed something fascinating—through riddles and stories, I managed to captivate everyone with the Midrash of the Exodus. At that moment, I had an idea—to write a booklet telling the story of the Exodus from start to finish, all through questions and answers. At the end of the booklet, there would also be a quiz for children with 30 funny and amusing questions."

Questions and answers for the Seder night

And that's exactly what he did. Rabbi Azoulay produced 400 such booklets, and they were quickly snatched up. "I received so many enthusiastic responses," he shares. "People who used the booklets during the Seder night told me that for the first time, they felt what Passover is like at home. There were also those who reported that their children didn’t want to sleep; they just read the booklets and asked questions."

A year after that, and in anticipation of the last Passover, Rabbi Azoulay released a more sophisticated edition. "This time, I chose to use a character named Shimon, who narrates the story of the ten plagues."

Stories of the ten plagues

Shimon is supposedly a child born in Egypt, and he tells his perspective on everything he saw during the enslavement and also during the redemption. All in a humorous and very suspenseful manner. This booklet too was instantly grabbed from the shelves. On the last page of the booklet, I wrote in Shimon's name: 'We'll meet *with Hashem's* help on the holiday of the giving of the Torah,' and these days I am in the midst of working on a new booklet for Shavuot, where Shimon narrates the story of the giving of the Torah."

Rabbi Azoulay, with your many years of experience in education, what advice can you give us as parents and educators?

"I can say one thing," he answers. "I think the most important thing that a person in education needs, whether a parent or a teacher, is love for the children. A child must feel that parents and educators love him. He needs to always know that even if he is punished, it is done truly and sincerely out of love and a desire to educate him. From personal experience, I can attest that when you speak the child's language and love him, you can discover amazing traits in him—traits you never notice in moments of anger."

Are you unsure about the recommended education for your children? Want to consult about religious educational institutions near your residence? Call the consultation and guidance department at Hidabroot – 073-2221230, and we'll be happy to help.