Yanukah

In many talmudic and mishnaic stories, the child is described as the possessor of unique and even contradictory traits. While he is invalid as a witness, exempt from observing the commandments, and not permitted to take part in the realm of commerce and acquisition, he is occasionally portrayed as the bearer of God’s word, and his ordinary sayings are understood as prophecy. In this paper, through an analysis of numerous sources—including tannaitic and talmudic material and various midrashim—which deal with children, we will attempt to identify the characteristic traits to which the sages refer in their descriptions of childhood. We will attempt to articulate the sages’ understanding of childhood, and specifically the traits which provide a basis for the portrayal of children as bearers of God’s word and sustainers of the world.