Study Kiddushin folio 30A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
הוה אמינא לשטן: גירא בעיניך. אמר ליה רבא לרבי נתן בר אמי: אדידך על צוארי דבריך. משיתסר ועד עשרים ותרתי ואמרי לה: מתמני סרי עד עשרים וארבעה.
I would say to the Satan: An arrow in your eye, i.e., I would not be afraid of the evil inclination at all. Rava said to R' Natan bar Ami: While your hand is still on your son’s neck, i.e., while you still have authority and control over him, find him a wife. What is the appropriate age? From 16 until 22, and some say from 18 until 24.
כתנאי: ״חנך לנער על פי דרכו״, רבי יהודה ורבי נחמיה, חד אמר: משיתסר ועד עשרים ותרתין, וחד אמר: מתמני סרי ועד עשרים וארבעה.
The Talmud notes that this is like a dispute between tanna’im, based on the verse: “Train a child in the way that he should go” (Proverbs 22:6). R' Yehuda and R' Neḥemya disagreed about the age in which the verse instructs the parent to educate his child: One said that the verse is referring to the ages from 16 until 22, and one said it is referring to the ages from 18 until 24. The dispute concerning the correct age for marriage and the dispute about educating a child are the same, as while a father still has a large measure of influence over his son, he must both teach him and find him a wife.
עד היכן חייב אדם ללמד את בנו תורה? אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל: כגון זבולון בן דן, שלימדו אבי אביו מקרא ומשנה ותלמוד הלכות ואגדות. מיתיבי: למדו מקרא – אין מלמדו משנה, ואמר רבא: מקרא – זו תורה!
§ The Talmud continues its discussion of a father’s obligation to teach his son Torah. To what extent is a person obligated to teach his son Torah? Rav Yehuda says that Shmuel says: One should emulate the education of, For example: Zevulun ben Dan, a contemporary of Shmuel, whose father’s father taught him Bible, Mishnah, Talmud, halakhot, and aggadot. The Talmud raises an objection from a baraita: If a father taught his son Bible, he is not required to teach him Mishnah. And Rava said in explanation of this baraita: Bible is the Torah, not the Prophets or Writings, i.e., he is not required to teach him anything else, including Mishnah.