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Why does the Torah (תורה) use masculine language when prohibiting slaughtering a mother and child on the same day? The verse reveals that mothers naturally provide empowerment while fathers provide structure and boundaries. When modern single-parent dynamics force one parent into both roles, children receive contradictory messages that undermine their development and the parent-child relationship.
This shiur explores the Torah (תורה)'s teaching about the prohibition of slaughtering an animal and its offspring on the same day (Leviticus 22:28), using it as a lens to understand modern parenting challenges. The speaker begins by noting that while the verse uses masculine language ('oso v'bino' - him and his son), the law actually applies to the mother and child, not father and child. This linguistic anomaly leads to a profound insight about parental roles. The Talmudic understanding reveals that mothers naturally provide empowerment and emotional support, making children instinctively want to care for them, while fathers provide structure and boundaries, naturally inspiring awe. The Talmud (תלמוד) states this was 'known to He who created the world,' indicating these are divinely designed natural inclinations, not cultural constructs. In the animal kingdom, where there is typically no active father figure, the mother must fulfill both roles - as nurturer and as the one responsible for continuity of the species.
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Parshas Emor, Leviticus 22:28
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