How One King Created the Most Torah-Literate Generation in Jewish History
The reign of King Hezekiah (Chizkiyahu) saw an unprecedented mastery of Torah among children — and it all began with how he raised his own sons.
During the reign of King Hezekiah — one of the most righteous kings of Judah — Jewish children across the land, boys and girls alike, knew even the most complex passages of the Torah (the foundational text of Judaism, encompassing the Five Books of Moses and oral tradition). The Talmud (Sanhedrin 94b) records that when the Torah knowledge of the youth was tested, the results were unparalleled in Jewish history.
Why did Hezekiah merit such a phenomenon? To understand this, we must turn to another passage in the Talmud (Berachot 10a), which gives us a glimpse into the king’s personal life.
Through prophetic insight, Hezekiah foresaw that his son would become a rasha (Hebrew for a wicked or morally corrupt person). Because of this, he initially refused to marry, in order to avoid fathering such a child.
The prophet Isaiah (Yeshayahu) confronted him, reminding the king that his duty was to fulfill the commandment “Be fruitful and multiply” — regardless of future outcomes. The prophet told him that raising children is a mitzvah (commandment) in itself, and their ultimate path lies in God’s hands.
Hezekiah accepted this rebuke (musar – moral admonition), married, and fathered two sons. What happened next became a model for Jewish parenting for generations to come.
Every day, the king personally carried one son on each shoulder and brought them to cheder (traditional Jewish school where children learn Torah). This was no ceremonial act — it was a statement of values.
From this, we learn three enduring lessons:
This deep personal commitment spread beyond his own family. The example he set inspired the nation, leading to an era when Torah knowledge flourished to a level never seen before or since. Crucially, his public efforts in spreading Torah (harbatzat haTorah — the active dissemination of Torah learning) did not come at the expense of his own children, which may be why they succeeded so dramatically.