Halakhah su Proverbi 22:6

From time immemorial, Judaism has manifested a concern for education bordering on the obsessive. Abraham is described as worthy of divine favor "For I have known him to the end that he may instruct his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of God, to do righteousness and justice" (Genesis 18:19). Loyalty to the traditions of Judaism in adulthood can be assured only if proper training is provided during formative years. As expressed by King Solomon, "Train a child in his way and even when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).

And know that even if he heard his young son and daughter speaking lashon hara, it is a mitzvah to rebuke them and to stop them, as it is written (Mishlei 22:6): "Guide the youth according to his bent, etc.", as it is explained in Orach Chaim 343:1, in connection with all the issurim in the Torah.

The essence of piety is to apply oneself constantly to things, where his passions are most challenging, such as evil gossip, the evil inclination, vanities, not to speak falsely, not to stare at women or speak of worldly curiosities or walk about idly; implicit in all this is evil passion. Thus he should not swear at all, nor invoke God’s name in vain, and so in all similar matters that go on constantly, where his passion overpowers him and he cannot withstand (he will be able to resist) only if he has been trained from childhood. Therefore let a man train his children in these matters while they are yet small and when they grow old they will not forsake them or set them aside; as it is written, “And even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). Take, for example, tallith and phylacteries, many men of quality wish to garb themselves with fringes and put on the phylacteries but refrain from doing so because of embarrassment; however all matters in which a man is trained (to do so) in childhood, when he grows up and attempts to forsake (them) it will be as difficult for him as death. But if a man strengthens himself in Torah and commandments and good deeds, then it becomes difficult for him to depart from them because of the embarrassment; people will say all that he has done so far has been to deceive people, as has been mentioned. He is called hasid, which is derived from hasadim (kindness).¹The term hasid used to describe the pious and saintly, derives from the Hebrew word hesed, meaning act of loving kindness. He is also called hasid because of the term hasidah (stork) (Deut. 14:18) which Onkelos translates huraitha (white bird). And it is written, “not now shall he be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale” (Isa. 29:22), which has the meaning of insult and shame that if they insult him and cause his face to become white and he like one deaf can not hear and like a mute does not open his mouth and does not insult anyone, then he is called pious.²Midrash Tehillim, ed. Buber, p. 123. And in the hereafter his face will shine brightly and he will succeed to sit in the seven classes of righteous men who will receive the Shekhina and enjoy the Divine Glory.³Midrash Rabbah (New York-Berlin: Horeb Publishers, 1924), Leviticus, Chapter XXX, p. 81a. As it is written, “Arise, shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee etc…. But upon thee the Lord will arise and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And nations shall walk by thy light and kings by the brightness of thy rising” (Isa. 60:1-3). These seven classes enjoy Divine Glory.