Parshas Eikev 5786
- Torah Tavlin
- Jul 31
- 2 min read
וקשרתם אתם לאות על ידכם והיו לטוטפת בין עיניכם. ולמדתם אתם את בניכם לדבר בם ... (יא-יח,יט)
Why are the mitzvos of tefillin and the obligation to teach one’s children connected here in the second parsha of Krias Shema? Additionally, we need to understand why the posuk changes from plural form - וקשרתם, ולמדתם, וכתבתם - to singular form, with the words בשבתך בביתך ובלכתך?
Addressing the first question; the Imrei Emes zt”l explains as follows: YES! The two are definitely intertwined. He goes on to explain, “The Torah’s associating מצות תפילין with חינוך הבנים teaches us that just as the halacha dictates that we may not be מסיח דעת while wearing tefillin, so too we must constantly be mindful of the chinuch of our young ones - never becoming complacent, and setting their spiritual development on ‘cruise control’.”
As far as our second question concerning the יחיד/רבים switch, the sefer Nachal Eliyahu offers a beautiful pshat teaching us a vital and fundamental chinuch principle. If we want to create an impactful and everlasting impression on children, we must make sure that it’s not only ולמדתם - teaching and preaching. It must also be accompanied by example. בשבתך - we ourselves, לשון יחיד, are to be engaged in, and heavily involved with Torah u’mitzvos.
Similarly, though the famous expression states; “It takes a village to raise a child,” one cannot simply rely on the neighborhood to be mechanech your child. Rather it must be מזוזות ביתך. Our lessons and ideals, our every-day Torah-driven מהלך החיים, must spring forth from each and every home to the best of our ability, with a force to permeate the hearts and minds of the impressionable youth.
May it be the will of Hashem that we remain vigilant in the chinuch of the דור הבאה while also improving ourselves, thereby ensuring our seeing lots of nachas from דורי דורות, BS”D.