Editing Chinuch (Education) (section)

== Application of the Mitzvah ==
"A tzaddik may give a slap, but a chassid does not give a slap. A chassid says a word, and the world says: a slap passes, but words remain."

* Rebbe Rashab, Sefer HaSichos 5704, page 15

There is a dispute among the Rishonim whether the mitzvah falls upon the father alone, or also upon the one being educated - the child himself.

The Rebbe clarifies in sichos that today the mitzvah is not only on the father, but also and primarily on the mother who is close to the children throughout the day.

When the Frierdiker Rebbe was seven years old, the Rebbe Rashab instructed him that if he wanted to eat on Yom Kippur, he should come before him and specifically ask permission to eat. In practice, the Frierdiker Rebbe fasted that year.

Some have explained that the obligation of chinuch applies specifically at the time of action when the obligation of chinuch arises, and therefore the Rebbe Rashab wanted his son to come before him when he wanted to eat, and then the Rebbe Rashab would educate him about the law of fasting for hours that children must be educated about from the law of chinuch.

In many sichos, the Rebbe explained that chinuch begins from the earliest age, from birth and even before.

"As is known, the Jewish custom for generations is to hang Shir HaMaalos in a child's room immediately upon birth, and similarly Jewish women would sing lullabies to their children with the content that 'Torah is the best merchandise,' and this is before the child knows to distinguish between good and evil, before they begin to speak, a newborn infant. It is known what the Rashba wrote about how careful one must be regarding the custom of elderly Jewish women."

The Rebbe also emphasizes regarding lullabies, that they serve as a significant part of the deepest education that penetrates the soul of the infant and child.

"As is known, the simple custom among Jewish women is to sing lullabies to children in the cradle about the 'Rebbe' who teaches his students 'kamatz alef ah,' and it is understood this is not merely coincidental, but this is how it spread and was accepted among Jewish women and girls in previous generations, in all places overseas that served as 'centers' for Torah, Judaism and yiras shamayim - because the way of teaching Jewish children was in a manner of learning 'kamatz alef ah,' and the reason for this is because 'kamatz alef ah' is connected with the letter alef of the word 'Anochi.'"

In many matters, the Rebbe strives to begin chinuch at the earliest age possible, and so for example the Rebbe writes that education for wearing tzitzis can begin before age 3.