Rashi states, “Already from the very bowels of Rivkah, they are separated, one to his wickedness and the other to his righteousness.” Rabbi Moshe Swift z.t.l. makes a poignant observation. The child is molded in the mother’s womb. In the home, the child is reared. The Jewish ideology which a child receives from within his home makes a major impact upon his perspective of life. Even the influence of an extremely adverse external influence is limited if the individual has been properly molded “from the womb.” We often hear parents place the blame for their own incompetence and lack of supervision upon the school, the rebbe, and the outside influences. The home maintains the primary influence. The life parents live, the places they go, the things they see and think, by and large, set the tone for the progress of their child’s education. On the other hand, what a glorious experience it is for a child to observe a Shabbos filled with kedusha, holiness, punctuated with words of Torah spoken at the table, zemiros sung with joy and excitement, and a feeling of camaraderie between parents and children. The tznius, modesty, that a child sees at home imbues him with a sensitivity to act similarly. When the light from within shines brightly, it is able to overwhelm the darkness of outside influences.
