Testing Children Who are Unprepared

Testing Children Who Are Unprepared

It is written in Sefer Chassidim that a host should not ask their guest questions in Divrei Torah (matters of Torah learning) unless they are certain that the guest knows the answers; otherwise, they should do so privately, so as not to embarrass the guest in the presence of others. It would follow, therefore, that it would not be proper to subject children to a farher (quiz or test on Torah subjects), even if done in a bantering, friendly manner, since the child is often unprepared, does not enjoy it, and it can entail ona’as devarim (hurtful words), or embarrassment to the child in front of other children or adults. However, parents, who have the obligation of chinuch (teaching their children Torah), and teachers in a school setting may certainly ask the children questions in order to gauge their progress. Nonetheless, when testing in the presence of others, it’s important to set up the test in a manner that will minimize, as much as possible, potential feelings of embarrassment on the part of the child being tested. #330?

https://halacha2go.com?number=330

Practical Halacha: One minute a day. By Horav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, shlita, Mara D'asra and member of the Badatz of Crown Heights.