As mentioned recently, I got an excellent lesson in the importance of keeping the fact of our eternal life in the forefront of consciousness. One thing that particularly struck me about that incident was my grandson's reason for usually not caring/taking glee in irritating his siblings; basically: why not? By the way, many years ago my daughter told me that -- as she was coming around a corner, but still out of their line of vision, though not out of earshot -- she heard that same grandson (three-ish, at the time) tell his older sister (four-ish): "Want to see mom get really mad?" She came around the corner just in time to see him upending a cup of orange juice on the table.
I don't think he is much different that other boys in his actions; perhaps just a drop more self-aware/expressive. Moreover, I don't think this sentiment is unique to boys. Generally speaking, fear of punishment does not lead to improved character. It may lead to changes in behavior; though even that is usually neither permanent nor even predictable. If so, why in the world do we extol יראת שמים/Fear of Heaven as such a virtue? (Interestingly, Google translates יראת שמים as "piety"; so even they agree.)
R' Chaim Volozhin in his sefer רוח חיים on Pirkei Avos offers and amazing insight, The first mishna exhorts us to be deliberate in judgement, to make fences for the Torah, and to engage with/teach many students. Most of the classic commentaries say this mishna -- especially the first clause -- is really directed to judges. R' Chaim, though, notes that there are three main lines of attack the evil inclination takes to prevent us from growing closer to HaShem. They are: (1) don't learn, (2) learn, but without יראת שמים, so the learning will get lost, and (3) work overtime on your יראת שמים and thereby lose out on actually learning. This mishna is addressing itself to overcoming those attacks.
Being deliberate in judgement and having many talmidim counters the urge to refrain from learning. (See Bava Metzia 98a regarding whether the rebbi or the talmid gets more out of the relationship.) Build fences is to ensure that you learn with יראת שמים. Specifying that the fences are "to Torah" (that is, not just plain fence building, but in proportion to your Torah learning/knowledge) is to prevent you from working day in and day out on יראת שמים without spending enough time increasing your Torah knowledge. (I note in passing the implication that piling stringencies upon stringencies is counterproductive to becoming a better Jew.)
Amazing! יראת שמים is not about fear, per se, but about protection your investment. In fact, R' Chaim brings a Zohar on the topic of יראת שמים that says, "There is fear and there is fear, but יראת שמים is the realization that HaShem is the King and source of reality." Reward and punishment are real concepts, but they don't mean a pat on the shoulder nor a pahtch on the tuchas. They mean enjoying a closeness with HaShem or, chas v'shalom, putting up barriers to that relationship.
I don't think he is much different that other boys in his actions; perhaps just a drop more self-aware/expressive. Moreover, I don't think this sentiment is unique to boys. Generally speaking, fear of punishment does not lead to improved character. It may lead to changes in behavior; though even that is usually neither permanent nor even predictable. If so, why in the world do we extol יראת שמים/Fear of Heaven as such a virtue? (Interestingly, Google translates יראת שמים as "piety"; so even they agree.)
R' Chaim Volozhin in his sefer רוח חיים on Pirkei Avos offers and amazing insight, The first mishna exhorts us to be deliberate in judgement, to make fences for the Torah, and to engage with/teach many students. Most of the classic commentaries say this mishna -- especially the first clause -- is really directed to judges. R' Chaim, though, notes that there are three main lines of attack the evil inclination takes to prevent us from growing closer to HaShem. They are: (1) don't learn, (2) learn, but without יראת שמים, so the learning will get lost, and (3) work overtime on your יראת שמים and thereby lose out on actually learning. This mishna is addressing itself to overcoming those attacks.
Being deliberate in judgement and having many talmidim counters the urge to refrain from learning. (See Bava Metzia 98a regarding whether the rebbi or the talmid gets more out of the relationship.) Build fences is to ensure that you learn with יראת שמים. Specifying that the fences are "to Torah" (that is, not just plain fence building, but in proportion to your Torah learning/knowledge) is to prevent you from working day in and day out on יראת שמים without spending enough time increasing your Torah knowledge. (I note in passing the implication that piling stringencies upon stringencies is counterproductive to becoming a better Jew.)
Amazing! יראת שמים is not about fear, per se, but about protection your investment. In fact, R' Chaim brings a Zohar on the topic of יראת שמים that says, "There is fear and there is fear, but יראת שמים is the realization that HaShem is the King and source of reality." Reward and punishment are real concepts, but they don't mean a pat on the shoulder nor a pahtch on the tuchas. They mean enjoying a closeness with HaShem or, chas v'shalom, putting up barriers to that relationship.
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