He [Yehudah ben Teima] used to say:
Five years [is the age] for [the study of] Scripture,
Ten [is the age] for [the study of] Mishnah,
Thirteen [is the age] for [observing] commandments,
Fifteen [is the age] for [the study of] Talmud. (Avot 5, 21)
The Halachic sources differentiate between Five years is the age (Piaget's concrete operational period) for the study of "Torah" and the rest of the Mishnah.
The Rambam, Talmud Torah - Chapter Two
"Children should be brought to study [under a teacher's instruction] at the age of six or seven, according to the child's health and build. Below the age of six, he should not be brought [to a teacher]". The Same Halacha is brought down by the Shulchan "Yorah Deah", 245, 8 " We bring in children to be educated when they have reached five complete years, but not any earlier than this. If the child is weak, we introduce him to the Torah after six full years."
However the Halacha regarding teaching Mishnah at the age of ten (Piaget's beginning of Formal Operations Period) is not mentioned in Halachic sources, the same for the age of 15 (Piaget's end of Formal Operations Period) for learning Talmud is also not mentioned in the Rambam and Shulchan Aruch.
This is because learning "chumash" before the age of 5-6 will definitely cause harm, since that the child is underdeveloped, and during this period (under the age of 5-6) the child has: Egocentrism, Rigidity of Thought, Semi-logical Reasoning, and Limited Social Cognition (Piaget).
I believe that Talmud can be taught at the age of 10, the child cannot understand every "sugya", this is the obligation of the teacher to find the appropriate "sugya". This way the child will start learning Talmudic language, and more important, Talmudic logic.
Just because Talmud is a difficult subject to teach, postponing teaching Talmud will not build "talmidei chachamim".
Shalom, "Tudah al hakol"
Dr. Tzvika Kanarek
Jerusalem
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2017 12:50PM by mlb.
