The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the reflections on visions of Jewish education outlined by members of the project's working group. The actual essays of these scholars will appear in succeeding chapters. What we propose to do here is decidedly not to replace those essays, but rather to provide an entry to them, sketching some of their main features, and proceeding to compare and contrast their approaches. We hope thus to facilitate a subsequent study of the essays themselves. We begin, then, with the work of Isadore Twersky.

Twersky, the historian and specialist in Jewish thought, is committed to a conception of Judaism that places philosophical understanding at the core of Jewish living. For Twersky, the practices of Judaism cannot be separated from the ideas and ideals of Judaism. If properly educated, the human being has the potential to achieve harmony between philosophy and behavior, between the practice of mitzvot (proper actions) and the appreciation of their meanings.

Twersky bases his conception mainly, if not exclusively, on the writings of Maimonides, the great twelfth-century scholar, rabbi, and philosopher, whom he considers to have offered the most authoritative formulation of Jewish tradition. Following Maimonides, Twersky identifies Jewish practice with halakhah, Jewish law, as infused with philosophical understanding. The ultimate goal of education, in brief, is to achieve both an overriding love of God and a genuine worship of God – both a deep understanding and a true piety.