Chinuch-how "hot" are we, raising the temperature

Motek

Fri, May 20 2005, 4:04 pm

I don't know who originated the following idea so I can't attribute it to anyone. I've read it and heard it in a lecture.

If you want to heat something up, the thing you heat up will never become as hot as the flame from which it gets its warmth. It will get warm, for sure, but rarely will the object get as warm as the one from which it gets its heat.

If parents are zealous and burning with their commitment to Yiddishkeit, their children will, at the very least, be warm and devoted to Torah. But if the parents are only lukewarm about Yiddishkeit, then their children may have a cool attitude to Torah or even worse, be cold and totally disenchanted.

Our commitment is reflected in our children. The stronger our observance and the example we provide, the stronger and warmer will be their observance.

What do you think of this? Do you see this in life? Sometimes I see children who are more commited than their parents. Then the analogy doesn't apply ...

I've heard it said that nowadays, children are not the same as their parents in their commitment to Torah, because either they are MORE commited or they are LESS commited, as opposed to generations ago when children were often like their parents in their religious observance.

Tefila

Fri, May 20 2005, 5:47 pm

Children are known to rebel against the ways of their elders! And yes I totaly agree if we are strong in yiddishkiet then there's hope for our kids but if we are blah zai then we'd better pray for a miracle. ( Actually it's not so much what I think it's more, what I've learnt )

Though saying all that we should all be praying anyway, and again look at the Avos And Moshe Rabbeinu's Descendants etc.....

So " we should try our very best and pray to Hashem to do the rest!" Wink

Last edited by Tefila on Sun, May 22 2005, 1:31 am; edited 2 times in total

raizy

Sun, May 22 2005, 1:24 am

I agree with freilich 100%
U can be as hot or cold . some children are better or worse then u. and u have to pray as hard as u can . u can not always blame the parents for everything that a child does or turns out to be...

Motek

Sun, May 22 2005, 9:48 am

raizy wrote:

u can not always blame the parents for everything that a child does or turns out to be...

not "always" and not for "everything" but those people who work with children who have gone "off," will tell you that in the vast majority of cases, the home was the problem or a major contributing factor

I asked my husband about the analogy and what about children who are "hotter" than their parents, and he said - it's because the children themselves "got on fire!"