In today’s society where the objective of life is to satisfy one’s desires and ambitions, two very important, interrelated commandments have been forgotten: the mitzvah to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28) and to teach one’s children (Deut. 6:7). Society has told women to give up and start living for themselves and, unfortunately, most have listened. The Biblical family requires absolute dying to self which is never a welcome concept to the flesh but it is of paramount importance that a woman does not get caught up in the world’s norms and, instead, turn back to these two mitzvot. The Biblical family concept isn’t about how many children a family has or the number they will reach, but rather the focus of growing up Elohim fearing children rather than focusing on material and selfish gain.
First, let us look briefly at history before deeply examining that of child-bearing. For millennia, having a large family was the norm and mothers would raise and teach their children which is the Biblical family model. When society became more and more feministic in the 20th century, stay-at-home mothers came to be viewed as slaving over antiquated ideals while ‘free’ women were changing human society. Indeed they were and believers began to notice a subtle downturn in the next generation of children who were heavily influenced by the world. In their zeal to preserve Biblical values, the ‘quiver-full’ and ‘homeschooling’ movements were born. Society looked on this move back with great skepticism as women gave up their careers and began living for their families. Many critically hypothesized that it would produce ‘sheltered’ children who would be unable to cope in the ‘real world’. Their education was erroneously believed to be inferior to that of the state’s specialized, expertly-trained system. All of this changed once the trailblazing generation of believers entered the ‘real world’.
It became obvious that the cynics were quite wrong. Taylor-made to fit each individual’s needs, homeschooling brought out the best in students teaching them not only information but the ability to learn. Home-schooled students soon showed a tendency to be much more creative and intellectual than their public or private schooled counterparts. Furthermore, national surveys conducted in the US conclusively showed that individuals schooled at home are significantly more likely to be happy and content. No longer was homeschooling an absurd method used by religious radicals! It was an increasingly reputable approach to education after just a generation of development.