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.

在许多 talmudic 和 mishnaic 故事中，孩子被描述为具有独特甚至矛盾特征的拥有者。虽然他不能作见证，不能遵守诫命，不能参与商业和获取的领域，但他偶尔会被描绘成神话语的承载者，他的普通话被理解为预言。在本文中，通过对涉及儿童的众多来源（包括单宁和塔木德材料以及各种 midrashim）的分析，我们将尝试确定圣人在描述童年时所指的特征。我们将尝试阐明圣人对童年的理解，特别是为将儿童描绘为上帝话语的承载者和世界的维持者的特征提供了基础。