Being a Good Parent – Lessons from the Talmud
Parents and grandparents wanting to shape good and emotionally healthy children have an array of contemporary sources to guide them. This week, Rabbi Woznica shares ancient and pertinent wisdom of the Talmud.
“Anger in a home is like rottenness in fruit.”
—Talmud Sotah 3
Creating a home which is a “haven against the storm” is something to which most of us aspire. One of the gifts parents can help to create for their child(ren) is a sense of calm and well-being in the home.
The Talmud is emphasizing the consequence of a home where there is anger. If you grew up in such a home, you likely know the impact on you (and/or your siblings).
It is natural to have moments of anger yet, to the extent possible, it is the responsibility of parents to keep that anger in check, particularly in front of children.
We have all cut into a seemingly healthy piece of fruit only to learn that it had rotted. Fruit, it turns out, often spoils from the inside out. While the consequences of an angry home on a child may not be obvious, the impact on their psyche may be lasting.
While it is not always easy, let’s do what we can to create a peaceful home.
Rabbi David Woznica
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