Timeless Torah

In a previous TIMELESS TORAH (from last week’s Biblical reading of Devarim) we touched upon the issue of parents’ demands, or should I say, parents’ expectations that their children conform to beliefs held dear by the older generation. As if on cue, this week’s Biblical passage of the Shema charges, among other things, “V’shinantom L’vonecha - You shall teach them (the words of the Torah) thoroughly to your children.” This all-consuming task has perplexed parents since Adam’s oldest son disappointed Dad and Mom by being a butcher rather than a doctor.
So what is a parent to do? Be the strict disciplinarian and coerce their youngster to “toe the line”? Or should one be more lenient in the hope that even if all of his values are not embraced, at least some of them will be? Perhaps the parent/child relationship should be viewed as an ongoing series of negotiations between management and labor? First, our side will make an offer, then our collective children will propose a counteroffer and eventually we will reach an honest compromise? Or are we fooling ourselves and this road is nothing more than a slippery slope leading to total capitulation and surrender?
For many the outcome is a foregone conclusion. In their minds, Jewish history is characterized as the Rule of Diminishing Returns. Each generation expects less, and in a self-fulfilling prophecy, receives less.
Into this fray, let us quote another verse from the current Torah reading. “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor shall you subtract from it, to observe the commandments of Hashem.” Herein lies I believe a psychological insight we should not lose sight of.
At first glance, the construct of this sentence seems ill designed. How can, “subtract from it” help one “to observe the commandments of Hashem?” One of the latter day commentaries posits a truly enlightening interpretation. “Do not diminish G-d’s commandments even for the lofty purpose of making the remaining ones more palatable and more acceptable to the masses.”
One must be delusional not to realize that the banner of Judaism has never been raised by the watering down of religious ideology. Similarly, the parent-child generation gap has never been strengthened nor have our elders been honored or respected by diluting core principles and presenting to our youth a model with pieces of the theology puzzle blatantly missing.
At this point you may be thinking, “Rabbi you’re expressing a noble sentiment, a worthy response. But practically, how does one not lose their child to the sociological forces that seduce the eye, tug at the heart and speaks to their minds?”
As mentioned previously, the first paragraph of the Shema is an important section of this week’s Parsha. The verse, “V’shinantom L’vonecha - You shall teach them (the words of the Torah) thoroughly to your children,” is followed by “V’dibarto Bohm - and you shall speak of them while in your home, while you walk on the way, etc.” This phrase implies, according to Rashi, that one’s main topic of conversation should focus on Torah.
It is no accident that the mandate to educate one’s child is succeeded by the obligation that our personal conversations, those around the kitchen table and in our cars when taking the family for a drive, should feature thoughts from our Bible. In other words, it is easy to blame today’s disaffected youngsters by claiming that they are not willing to receive our message. But imagine your TV screen showing no image. Who says the receiving antennae is down, perchance the transmitter at the other end with is silent.
The truth is young people are always listening. Indeed, they more than we are receptive to soul-stirring ideals. Let’s face it, who joins cults and marches in protests: middle-aged stockbrokers or college students? It is however unfortunate, that if we parents, the supposed role models are not articulating our culture, someone else will fill the void. So this Shabbat substitute spirituality for sports and Torah for tasteless tales.