Judaism had many teachings that was a major part of their culture. There was much transmission of the tenets, principles and religious laws of Judaism. Due to its emphasis on Torah study, many have commented that Judaism is characterized by "lifelong learning" that extends to adults as much as it does to children. The tradition of Jewish education goes back to biblical times and a very basic duty for Jewish parents is to provide instruction for their children, which is like home school. In the Talmud, education is stressed and said that children should start school at six years old. The rabbis stated that they should not be beaten with a stick or cane, that older students should help those who were younger, and that children should not be kept from their lessons by other duties. According to Judah Ben Tema, “At five years the age is reached for studying the Bible, at ten for studying the Mishnah, at thirteen for fulfilling the mitzvoth, at fifteen for studying the Talmud.” Jews established their own schools or hired private tutors for their children until the end of the 18th century. Rabbi Meir Simcha of Divinsk (in his Meshech Chochma) observes that God's statement "[Abraham is blessed because] he will instruct his children and his house after him to follow in God's ways to perform righteousness and justice" (Genesis 18:19) is an implicit mitzvah to teach Judaism. It was also in the 19th and early 20th century, with the advent of public education for all, that an emphasis was first placed on girls' education. Before then, girls were mostly learning at home.