We say the commandment of "veshinantam levanecha," written in this parashah, every single day. It instructs us to teach our children Torah and its mitzvos. The reason for this commandment does not need to be explained. The foundations of Torah in our nation are fulfilled only through the power of the mesorah that passes from generation to generation. Parents give the Torah over to their children, and they, in turn, will give it over to their children when the time comes.
We can learn about the importance of conveying the fundamentals of Torah to our offspring from its centrality in Birchas HaTorah. Our first request each morning is "And may we and our offspring [and our offspring’s offspring] all know Your Name and learn Your Torah lishmah."
Chazal ranked the obligation of teaching Torah to our children in accordance with the child’s age. For this reason, they say (Sukkah 42a) that as soon as a child learns to speak, his father should teach him the passuk (Devarim 33:4): "Torah tzivah lanu Moshe..." and the passuk (ibid 6:4) "Shema Yisrael Hashem ...."
But there is something that we should teach our children even before that, and that is to answer amen. Based on the words of the Gemara (Sanhedrin 110b) that from when a child answers amen he merits life in Olam Haba, the Rema rules (Orach Chaim 124 7, based on Sanhedrin 110b): "And he should teach his young children to answer amen, because as soon as a child answers amen, he has a share in Olam Haba."
It is well known that personal example is the most effective way to teach and be mechanech children. This is also true regarding answering amen. If we want to teach our children to value the mitzvah of answering amen, and to bring them to a life in Olam Haba, we ourselves have to be careful to uphold this mitzvah.
When a child comes to shul and sees that his father or Rav are lax, chalilah, about answering amen, he learns to imitate their ways, and thus they teach him not to answer amen. It is painful to see that sometimes, instead of teaching children to answer amen, they learn from the figures they most admire and appreciate to be lax about amen.
Harav Yitzchak of Korbil, one of the Baalei Hatosafos, writes in his Sefer Mitzvos Kattan (Mitzvos 12) just such a thing: "Chazal say (Brachos 53b): ‘The one who answers amen is greater than the mevarech, and the gates of Gan Eden are open to him, as it says (Yeshayah 26:2): "Pischu she’arim veyavo goy tzaddik shomer emunim" – do not read it ‘emunim’ but rather ‘amenim’ (Shabbos 119b). And from that time, a baby merits life in Olam Haba (Sanhedrin 110a). And if so, woe to those who speak mundane matters or make jokes and banter in the shul during davening, and withhold Olam Haba from their children."
Often, people seek to compliment me for the work that Bney Emunim does in education institutions. "My children are strict to recite Birchos Hashachar bechavrusa each day," they tell me. And in response, I ask if they, too, are strict about it, because I know that this wonderful practice will not last long without a personal example.
The giants throughout the generations have told us that the passuk "veshinantam levanecha" itself expresses the importance of chinuch through personal example, and thus they explained this passuk: The right way to do "veshinantam levanecha" is when the father himself shows his son a personal example of how important the review is, and he should himself fulfil the words "vedibarta bam beshivtecha beveisecha uvelechtecha baderech ubeshochbecha uvekumecha."
Let us be strict to recite Birchos Hashachar bechavrusa each day, and to answer amen, and thus we will convey the importance of answering amen to the generation of the future, and we should merit to see the fulfillment of the request: "And may we and our offspring and our offspring’s offspring all know Your Name and learn Your Torah lishmah."
Good Shabbos
Yaakov Dov Marmurstein
