Daycare was rare
in Biblical Times:
-
An Orthodox Jewish new mother notes, "The
only model for 'daycare' in the Torah* that I
could think of was that of Yocheved (Jochebed) when she sends Moshe (Moses)
away -- only because his life was in danger -- and even then a
 s
the Midrash** tells us, she
made it a point to remain his primary caregiver.
*Torah = The
first 5 books of the Jewish Bible (see Exodus II v. 1-9 for the story of
Moses' childhood).
**Here she is referring
to the Midrash Rabbah - The great commentaries on sections of the Bible
compiled in the 11th
and 12th century.
-- From the Nishmat
Women's Online Information Center, 23 Sept 04
Impracticality of Daycare in Biblical and Early
Post-Biblical Times:
The
breastfeeding arrangements described below effectively precluded daycare by strangers!
- (In the Babylonian Talmud* compiled in the
3rd - 5th century CE) the mother is enjoined to breastfeed her children
during the first 24 months (Kethuboth
60b; Yebamoth 43a)
*Talmud = The authoritative body of Jewish
tradition consisting of the Mishna and Gemara
-- From "Children" Page 427,
Encyclopaedia Judaica, 1971
- ...the Hebrew mother of old
carried the baby either in a bag or on the mother's back. When the
child grew older and stronger, it was swung on her shoulder and there rode
astride, clutching the mother's head (compare Isaiah 49:22). The
child was not weaned until very late (three years, according to II
Maccabbees 7:27), so that this absolute dependence and continuous company
would result in an extraordinary attachment and devotion of the children
to their mothers.
-- From "CHILD CARE" Page 149,
The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, Volume 3, 1948
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