Part I In preparation for kabolas haTorah... This essay was originally published in the Israeli English edition of Yated Ne'eman in the issue of parshas Emor of 5758 (1998).

More insights and thoughts on various aspects of chinuch from a veteran Torah educator.

According to R' Efraim's family tradition, his ancestral roots went all the way back to the exiles of the Bayis Sheini. That same tradition claimed that his ancestors were among the first settlers in Mogdor, Morocco. The Jews of the city, who knew R' Efraim's illustrious family, were proud of their famous neighbor, who was also distinguished in his own right. R' Efraim, the hero of our story was, first of all, a G-d fearing Jew of the genuine genre; his piety was reflected in everything he did: how he prayed and how he dealt in business. His integrity was inherent in his genes. And second, he was renowned for the wealth he had acquired through the labor of his own hands.