Page 72 - Reflections on St. Joseph

In this article, I will reflect on the role of St. Joseph as teacher and educator, a duty that is
inherent to his mission of being a father to Jesus. St. John Paul II highlighted this important
service of his fatherhood in Redemptoris Custos in these words: “The growth of Jesus 'in wisdom
and in stature, and in favor with God and man' (Lk 2:52) took place within the Holy Family
under the eyes of Joseph, who had the important task of 'raising' Jesus, that is, feeding, clothing
and educating him in the law and in a trade, in keeping with the duties of a father (RC n. 16).”

Duties of Jewish Fatherhood

To fully appreciate and understand the role of St. Joseph in the education of Jesus, a deeper
insight into the concept of Jewish fatherhood, according to the ancient Jewish tradition, will
undoubtedly help us. The following passage from the Babylonian Talmud, the most the
important source of Jewish religious law and Jewish theology, summed-up the mission of a
Jewish father to his son:

The father is required to circumcise his son; to redeem him [referring to the firstborn son,
as per the Biblical passages in Numbers 18:15-16]; to teach him Torah; to assure that he
marries, and to teach him a trade. Some say he must also teach him to swim. Rabbi Judah
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says, whoever does not teach his son a trade teaches him robbery .

Notably, the six duties enumerated by the Talmud are "gender-specific". They are specific and
unique responsibilities of a father to his son, while the mother is not bound by these obligations .
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They also reflect a division in the roles between genders in Jewish culture and society. Thus, the
study, trade, and public affairs belong to the men's domain, while the women's domain is the
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home . Moreover, women are exempted from
tasks which they themselves are not obligated
to fulfill. In Jewish law, there is a notion that a
ritual may only be performed by a person who is
obligated to do so. He may not be substituted by
someone who is not obligated. Hence, the ritual
of circumcision of a child is an obligation solely
given to the father and may not be performed by
the mother .
5

Likewise, the responsibility of performing the
ceremonial ritual of redemption of the
firstborn son who is destined for the service of
the temple is a unique responsibility of the
father. Since no woman can do priestly service
in the temple, the mother cannot perform this
ritual . And what about the education of
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children? Though it is the duty of all parents
to raise their children according to the Jewish
law, beliefs, morals, and tradition, only the
sons are required to be trained in the

48 Reflections on st. joseph