וְהֵשִׁ֤יב לֵב־אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים וְלֵ֥ב בָּנִ֖ים עַל־אֲבוֹתָ֑ם פֶּן־אָב֕וֹא וְהִכֵּיתִ֥י אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ חֵֽרֶם׃<br><small>[הנה אנכי שלח לכם את אליה הנביא לפני בוא יום יהוה הגדול והנורא]</small>
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the land with utter destruction.<br><small>[Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.]</small>
Mareh Yechezkel on Torah
And it is possible that it is about this that it was stated (Malachi 3:24), “And He shall bring back the hearts of the fathers for the children” – the explanation is that God, may He be blessed, will bring back the hearts of the fathers from the sins that they did through their children. As they employed a lehrer, until they too veered from the path of the Lord. Alternatively perhaps it is that the fathers have to repent for the children, in that they did not guide their children in the path of fear [of God] and Torah. And there is truly no way back for a man that does not possess Torah knowledge and does not support those who study the Torah, for he cannot overpower his evil impulse.” And this is as it is written, “I created the evil impulse, [and] I created the Torah as a remedy.”