Rambam writes that the standard educational process is to entice children to study and behave correctly through rewarding them with sweets and other things that appeal to children.
But the story of the Rashab opens a new path of possibility in education. The Rebbe was modeling that it is possible for children to inculcate within themselves an authentic desire for connection with G-d, to the point that it moves them to tears. When the Previous Rebbe made this story public, he was, in effect, declaring that now this is possible to replicate with all children.
Children have a spiritual sensitivity that is innate and can be nurtured.
Furthermore, this does not only apply to a child’s relationship, but also to his or her interpersonal relationships. As illustrated by another story of the Rashab: When he was around four years old, the tailor had come to deliver an article of clothing to his mother. The Rashab innocently pointed out that the tailor had taken a piece of material from the home and the embarrassed tailor scrambled to explain himself. After he had left, his mother chided him for embarrassing the tailor, causing the Rashab to burst into tears and ask his father for a path for forgiveness for his insensitivity.
Again, the purpose of sharing this story of a Jewish leader with the public is to illustrate how it is possible to cultivate this sensitivity to others even in a small child.
***
