Musar sur Les Proverbes 22:6

And if we ponder even further, we will be amazed, since wasn't Rebbi Chiya the one that arranged the Braisos, the foundation of the Six Orders of the Mishna! Yet, he gave over all of his abilities to create training for teachers for community service who are now beginning to enter into the vineyard of Hashem, this being the 4 square cubits of Jewish law and Awe of heaven. Perforce, it is found that even these [- even those of Rebbi Chiya's calibre -] should be trained to be community workers. And secondly, through the “teach each other” [method], they make the community fitting to be included for this matter, until it is found from these services, of establishing the Torah and the Awe of Hashem, they uphold the general goal and its detail as well. And all this was achieved only because his intent was looking solely towards the benefit of the public. And even though this matter was revolutionary, he still stood firmly on this, because he had foresight and saw that from this would be an outgrowth in Torah and Awe of Hashem everywhere. And, as such, it was good for him to endure in every aspect of endurance, as they said, “he sowed flax, etc.” all for the good of the public. [It is therefore] required of all who train and serve to teach that it will be good for him to be a community worker, and it will assist in the pursuit of self-perfection. And he shouldn't look towards his own success alone. For, with the measure of how much one is able to remove his own honour and situate himself for the public, with the same measure will he be successful wherever he goes. And as the verse said, “Train the youth, according to his way, so when he becomes old, he will not be removed from it” (Mishlei 22). “From it” refers to from the training. And what is this training that he should be able to fulfill also in his old age? I say this training is of community service - that his desire is to do better in this matter. And the Gra writes that there is education at the level of 'for the sake [of Heaven]' - and, on this, Rebbi said, “How great is this act of Chiya” (Bava Metziya 85b), that he desired only the good of the public. And he succeeded in his actions, that Torah would not be forgotten from Yisrael, through establishing education of teachers of community services according to their level that they will be involved in it all their lives. And with this, we remove the first question; is there an educational track to prepare educators in community service; was it not Rebbi Chiya who did this, [by] training the young to teach each other and was successful in his efforts.

The Pardes Rimonim mentions that the "miniature" number is a reference to Chanoch (otherwise known as the angel Mattatron) who is also called נער, and whose function is alluded to in Solomon's Proverbs 22, 6: חנוך לנער על פי דרכו, "educate the lad in the manner appropriate for him. [In his chapter on the definitions of certain words, the author of Pardes Rimonim defines the reason that Mattatron is called נער as being that he performs the duties of a נער. These duties are comprehensive just as the duties of Joshua, who is described as a נער, a senior servant of Moses, or Eliezer, who is described in that fashion although he was the senior servant of Abraham. According to Kabbalists, Mattatron provides the "food" not only for our world but also for the world of the angels. Ed.] When the souls of Jacob and Joseph respectively expanded from the world of אצילות, their origin, the features of Jacob remained engraved on the throne of G–d. This throne is immediately below the region we have called אצילות. Joseph is immediately below his father in the domain of Mattatron whose activities emanate from beneath that "throne." The significance of the throne is the mystery of בריאה, whereas the significance of Mattatron in the same scheme is the mystery surrounding יצירה, [a more advanced state of the creation of matter. Ed]. Concerning this latter aspect of Mattatron's activities, the Torah describes Joseph here as 17 years old, i.e. a "junior." Kabbalists also refer to Mattatron as עבד. The Zohar points that out on Genesis 24, 2 where Abraham instructs עבדו זקן ביתו, "his servant the senior member of his household," to get a wife for Isaac. I have explained this at length in my commentary on חיי שרה. The expression עבד also occurs in Joseph's life when the latter is sold by his brothers. G–d sent His angel along to protect Joseph on his various journeys. This guidance was of a similar nature as that described in Exodus 23, 20: הנה אנכי שולח מלאך לפניך לשמרך בדרך, "Here I am sending an angel ahead of you to protect you on the journey." Our sages identified that angel with the angel Mattatron, as mentioned by Rashi on that verse. [The fact that Rashi mentions that the numerical value of 314=מטטרון=שדי, clearly establishes that Mattatron is active in matters of יצירה, an activity requring the attribute of שדי. Ed.]

And especially in our times, when we see with our own eyes in our many sins that the youth who have departed from the Torah have also abandoned the observance of Shabbath and other observances, it certainly devolves upon every father to strengthen his sons in the Torah of the L-rd and to train him in His mitzvoth, as it is written (Mishlei 22:6): 'Train the youth, etc.' And his reward for this will be very great, far greater than that of the preceding generations, as we find in Avoth d'R. Nathan 3:6: "Better a hundred times with suffering than one time without suffering," and (Ezekiel 44:15): "But the Cohanim - the Levites, the sons of Tzaddok, who kept the keeping of My sanctuary when the children of Israel strayed from Me — they shall draw near to Me to serve Me, etc."