Chinuch- חינוך implies so much more than just education, but in this instance, there isn't a much better word in English (maybe inculcation or indoctrination?). As parents, we hopefully have at least some appreciation of its paramount significance, in contributing to the proper development of our offspring. After all, who doesn't want anything more than their kids to turn out good. With the prominent appearance of ושננתם לבניך and ולמדתם אותם את בניכם in our daily kriyat shema prayer - along with many other prayer and literary references - the Torah naturally attributes incredible value to this all-important topic.
However of course, the "Final Jeopardy" question is, "How do we teach our children to do what's right?"
One sure-fire way is derived from the first possuk in our parsha
וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה אֱמֹר אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם לְנֶפֶשׁ לֹא יִטַּמָּא בְּעַמָּיו
Hashem said to Moshe, say to the kohanim, the sons of Aharon, and say to them, Let no priest become ritually impure through contact with a (dead) person
Rashi, obviously bothered by the seemingly redundant "say" and "say" and by the unusual placement of הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן instead of the more normal בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹןהַכֹּהֲנִים writes "אמר ואמרת, להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים" say and say - that the adults should warn (admonish) the youth (about not becoming impure)...as if to say,"Say to the older kohanim that they should say to the younger kohanim... Later commentators expound and expand on this, keying in on Rashi's own unusual wording להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים instead of להזהיר גדולים את הקטנים, to refer to the general idea of chinuch, interpreting להזהיר על as to shine on (...you crazy diamond). What's interesting is that even though this thought is based on the double"say" in the possuk, the lesson is that the most effective chinuch is showing by example, not (just by) talking...or in other words, don't (just) talk the talk, but walk the walk.
Other reasons why the metaphor of shining is so fitting for chinuch:
1 - Sometimes the original source light is too bright and can only be appreciated when diffused into smaller vessels We can't look at the sun, but we can (though for other reasons, we shouldn't) look at the moon, which receives its light from the sun. So too, sometimes a rabbi/instructor is too high/bright to be understood themselves, and their true light can only be comprehended by their students that they teach (This doesn't really apply to parents, since most kids never understand their parents AND don't think they are too "bright")
2 - Whereas the original light appears to be a single homogeneous entity, that light can take on many different forms and manifestations based on the nature and structure of the vessels it shine into. So too a parent's/rabbi's unified personality can come out in many diverse ways in their children/students
3 - As opposed to other types of 'giving', that can involve the emptying of the source container as it fills up the receiving unit, a light source that shines, is not diminished one iota no matter how many vessels it shines into. So too a parent/rabbi can continuously give off their light without any fear of being drained
many different aspects can be detected in vessels it shines into.
Stay tuned after Shabbos for a special edition for Peach Shenei which I believe should be this generations holiday!
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