1,129. Starting School

165:10 As soon as a child starts to talk, he is taught the verses of "Torah tziva lanu Moshe..." ("Moshe commanded us the Torah..." - Deuteronomy 33:4) and Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4). One must make sure that the child is not soiled when teaching him Torah. The child is gradually taught various Torah verses until he is old enough to go to school; at that point, a teacher should be hired for him. The parent must be sure to select a teacher who is pious so that the child will become accustomed   to piety from a young age. When the child starts to learn Chumash, it's common to begin with parshas Vayikra, which discusses the sacrifices. Regarding this, the Sages said, "let the pure ones come" - meaning the schoolchildren - "and occupy themselves with the pure ones" - meaning the sacrifices.

165:11 The teacher must teach his students all day and a little into the night so that they will become used to learning by day and by night. The students should only take off from their studies in order to get ready for Shabbos and yom tov. We don't cancel class even to work on building the Temple.