It is interesting to note that the Torah refers to Moshe and Tzipporah’s sons as “her two sons.” Were they only Tzipporah’s sons? Horav Mordechai Gifter, Shlita, asserts that the education parents impart to their child establishes the tenor of the relationship between them. From the time Moshe left Midyan — at the behest of Hashem to lead Bnei Yisrael out of Egypt — until this moment, Tzipporah guided their childrens’ education. This is the reason that they are referred to as “her two sons.”
This remarkable insight into parenting and education should serve as a lesson for us all. The education we avail our children will ultimately make the difference in their relationship with us.
All too often our decisions regarding the type of school, the form of education, and its level of religious persuasion are based upon our own life experiences, socioeconomic pressures, and random external factors. The only motivating factor in determining a child’s education should be what is best for the child and where he or she will receive the utmost spiritual refinement. The educational decisions we make for our children when they are youngsters can either be the greatest source of nachas for us or can forever haunt us.
