Which Way Shall We Go?
Why is there so much juvenile crime and violence now? The answer lies in the exposing of powerful youthful energy before Moshiach. Parents and teachers have the responsibility to steer this energy in the right direction. They should not ignore it or suppress it. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM
The Root Cause
We have lived through a difficult week. As it stands now, two — perhaps more – high school students murdered thirteen of their fellow students and teachers. The entire country is in shock. Everyone — Parents, students, psychologists and sociologists are grappling with this tragedy. Why? Why would any human being commit such atrocities? Many theories have been advanced, most of which have validity. But, few of these theories deal with the root cause.
From the Torah’s perspective, we could ask how does the Torah view the young criminal and on whose shoulder to the Torah put the blame.
Perhaps an even more urgent question has to be asked. How could we, in such an advanced stage of our history, moments before the final and complete Redemption, be plagued with such a horrific ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM phenomenon of school children committing the most heinous of crimes?
“You shall not eat with the blood.”
Although it is impossible to adequately answer such painful questions, we must attempt to offer a few thoughts on this matter. By Divine Providence, this week’s Torah portion refers to the young criminal, albeit, tangentially:
We are commanded: “You shall not eat with the blood.” These words seem puzzling. Didn’t the Torah already tell us that we should not consume blood. What new law does the Torah wish to convey in this verse?
The Talmud and Maimonides provide several explanations. One of them is that we are prohibited to eat in a way that can lead to bloodshed. This is a reference to the “Ben Soreh U’Moreh, the rebellious son” who steals meat and wine, consumes them gluttonously. According to the Torah in Deuteronomy (21:20) this rebellious child is to be executed because his rather brazen behavior will inevitably lead to more serious crimes, including murder.
ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM
Childhood Criminal Behavior: Who’s to Blame?
Now, despite the fact that the Talmud says, no one was ever executed for this type of crime, the Torah nevertheless wishes to teach us a lesson about childhood criminal behavior.
According to Maimonides and Chinuch (a medieval classic exposition of the 613 Commandments) it is the fault of the parents who are too permissive and permit him to lead a irresponsible life. This prohibition, “You shall not eat with the blood” admonishes the parents to make sure their children do not lead a life that will lead to crime.
Maimonides, clearly, obviously puts the blame on the lack of proper moral education when the child is still young.
Why Now?
But, the question still persists. Why are we being exposed to such an avalanche of violent acts committed by teenagers and even younger children? At this point, at the threshold of the twenty–first century, haven’t we matured sufficiently that we no longer should have such evil in our midst? And as mentioned before, how is it that we witness such ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM terrible violence by our youth so close to the coming of Moshiach?
One might suggest that it is precisely because we are on the verge of making the most dramatic transition into the world of Redemption that we are experiencing these problems.
Two Scenarios
We find two varied accounts of the nature of children in the time before Moshiach. The prophet Malachi has predicted that before the Messianic Age, the young will restore the hearts of their fathers to G-d. They will be more spiritually in touch and holier than their parents.
Yet, the Talmud also predicts that before the Messianic Age the young will act brazenly and embarrass their elders.
Both of these statements can be literally true. While youth today are endowed with more spiritual energy than their forebears, they still have the ability to choose to use it for good or for evil. They can either restore the hearts of their fathers, or they can vent uncontrollable evil energy.
ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM
Our responsibility as parents in this pivotal period of transition is thus more crucial than ever before. We can steer our children in the wrong direction by neglecting their moral development, and anticipate an unleashing of our children’s potential in an uncontrolled and unG-dly manner. We can also guide them in the right direction and be surprised to discover that they possess far stronger positive energy than we ever imagined.
Such a level of parental involvement will certainly lead to the realization of that prophecy that in this age the prophet Elijah shall come and “restore the hearts of the fathers through the children.”
ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM
ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
