A Jewish child's education begins at his/her birth and his parents remain his/her primary teachers throughout his/her life. Daf TB Sukkah 46b warns us what we do (the hidden curriculum) is just as important if not more so than what we say.
"And Rabbi Zeira said: A person should not say to a child: I will give you something, and then not give it to him, because he thereby comes to teach him about lying, as it is stated: “They have taught their tongues to speak lies” (Jeremiah 9:4). One must not accustom a child to fail to honor commitments." (Sefaria.org translation)
We have very smart children and they pay attention to everything we say and do. Beyond just keeping our promises, do we lie about our ages or our children's ages to get a discount? Do they overhear us when we gloat when we cheat on our taxes or with a business acquaintance? Do we lie to get out of trouble when our child knows the truth? If we do we should not be surprised when our children follow our example.
Rosh Hashanah is only two weeks away. There's no better time to correct our behavior so that we will be a positive influence on her children and grandchildren.
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