“Itzjak loved Esau, for he had the prey in his mouth; but Rebekah loved Jacob.”
Book of Genesis 25:28
From both sides of the counter.
The person changes physically and mentally. Even as a young man he is strong, but impulsive and inexperienced in life.
In general, big mistakes or sins tend to be committed during this volcanic stage of every life.
As the years go by, accumulated experience, mistakes and successes come together and generally provide greater clarity and transparency in the process of thinking and in the analysis of events. And fundamentally when it comes to making decisions.
We could conclude that, even when we are adults, we make mistakes in our decisions, but, I repeat, generally much less.
Children and their traits.
Every rule has its exception. Ribkah comes out kind and righteous and comes from a house of wicked people. On the other hand, Esav, already as a young man, is a consummate criminal, certainly with the ability to put on makeup and present himself differently in front of his father and within the family, being children of two righteous and meritorious people who fear God.
Apparently, in addition to genetics and education, there are other, less clearly defined factors that shape a person's character.
We could think of friends or friendships as the second circle that could guide our diagnosis.
My mother Aida K. De Daitch Z“L (a teacher by profession) always repeated “tell me who you hang out with and I'll tell you who you are.”
The tree and its fruit.
The saying is: “the fruit does not fall far from the tree,” and as we said this is the rule.
However, the Torah, which is life itself, shows us in certain cases paradoxes or contradictions, which teach us that life contains some secrets and misfortunes, which, although they are a necessary part of the eternal conflict and tests of existence, do not always fully fit the logic of human understanding.
Final
If we wanted to extend it, there would not be enough space, paper or ink.
The child is a product or combination of both parents. And although he copies what he sees, the final result depends on a combination of variables and the Torah warns us of this point.
The son or daughter we want does not always turn out the way we thought or hoped.
There are also guides, but the perfect manual on how to be “a perfect son and a model father” has not yet been published.
In theory everything fits together, but in reality things do not always fit together in the right or desired way.
The chapter read last Shabbat, far from closing, opens the debate.
Chodesh Tov!
Dr. Natalio Daitch