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How does genuine internal change in a parent influence children? The Baal HaTurim's remez for Elul in the pasuk "Umal Hashem (ה׳) es levavcha v'es levav zarecha" teaches that only what we truly feel—not mechanical actions done from obligation—transfers to the next generation. When a parent's heart is genuinely transformed, that itself becomes "levav zarecha," extending naturally to their children's hearts.
The shiur explores a pasuk from Devarim that the Baal HaTurim identifies as a remez for Elul: "Umal Hashem (ה׳) Elokecha es levavcha v'es levav zarecha, v'ahavta es Hashem Elokecha bechol levavcha, bechol nafshecha, l'maan chayecha." The pasuk describes HaKadosh Baruch Hu performing spiritual "surgery" on one's heart to enable closer connection to Him. The Baal HaTurim sees the words "es levavcha v'es levav" as hinting to Elul, but Rabbi Zweig raises a fundamental question: this seems like an incomplete remez, taking only the middle portion of the phrase without including "zarecha" (your children), which is part of the complete thought. The resolution lies in understanding the relationship between a parent's internal spiritual state and its effect on children. Rabbi Zweig proposes that what a person does externally has minimal influence on children, while what a person genuinely feels has profound impact. Actions performed mechanically, out of obligation, or from fear—even if technically correct and l'shem shamayim—do not transmit to the next generation. Children are highly attuned to what their parents truly want versus what they do from duty or social pressure.
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Devarim 30:6
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