Rav Dessler (Michtav M’Eliyahu 3:360-361 written 1949): Education of children regarding corporal punishment. Question: You have written that the latest scientific research has a fundamental problem with the use of corporal punishment. They say that it is natural that children imitate what their parents do. Consequently if they are given corporal punishment then they will learn the improper lesson that they should hit those who act against their wishes... Answer: The secular researchers are mistaken because of two fallacies in their reasoning which cause them to misunderstand the true nature of the matter. 1) The first mistake is that they think that man is born without any characteristics at all [tabla rosa] and therefore a person’s nature is totally determined by what he learns from his environment. In other words they mistakenly believe that a man acquires his personality entirely from his surroundings. This is not true. The Torah says “At the door sin crouches”. That means that even before a child is born that there is an instinctive attraction to evil. Our Sages note that when Rivkah was pregnant with Yaakov and Esav - when when she passed the temples of idolatry that Esav pushed to be born. See what the Maharal writes on this. That means that there is an aspect of instinct without conscious awareness or thought at all which are part of a person’s nature that he is born with which he has to fight against. It is obvious of course that the social environment can strengthen characteristics and that he can in fact learn from others. However the primary characteristics do not have to be learned from others because they are innate. 2) The second mistake is that they think that it is necessary to develop independence in children. This is an incredible error. In fact not only do they no need to learn independence but they need to learn submission and humility. They will in fact learn by themselves pride and murder. But to teach them “there is no one like me” (Yeshaya 47:10) is the approach of Edom and the approach of murder and theft.
Part of personality is genetic.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what he is saying - did Yaakov and esav have freewill to swap ? Or was Yaakov innately a tzaddik, and esav a rasha?
But his 2 points are contradictory. His 2nd point is behaviourist, and asserts what he is opposing in his first point.
When I started learning Michtav MiEliyahu I was enthused. As it went on, I lost some of that enthusiasm. When I got to comments like "The second mistake is that they think that it is necessary to develop independence in children. This is an incredible error." which are mindbogglingly stupid along with the comment where he calls children in schools "Hitleristim (remember this is a guy who sat out the War) I put the book down and walked away.
ReplyDeleteThe same author , claimed that Rav Wasserman would save the Jews in europe - some 3 years after he had been savagely mrudered by the "Hitlerists" -yemach shmam.
ReplyDeleteWell then there's his "How dare you say The Gedolim(tm) erred when they told their followers to stay put?" That's another beauty.
ReplyDeletehere is a later view of of Rav Dessler, regarding getting a new State in Israel - where he turns Uber Zioinstt!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.etzion.org.il/en/lecture-04a-rav-desslers-second-thoughts
Anyone can err.
ReplyDeleteThe same yeshivas that teach us how honest the Torah is by including and not whitewashing the sins of our forefathers, also claim that the gedolim are infallible.