What does it mean that adults are warned about the children?

Rabbi Landau explains the words of Chazal, “l’hazhir gedolim al haketanim,” to warn the adults about the children. It means a child is not only responsible to listen to the adults. “The adults are responsible for becoming someone a child can safely copy.”

So the warning is aimed at ourselves: “Be careful with yourself because there are children watching you.” A child observes your tone and knows what you really care about and what you are only pretending to care about.

That is why, before trying to fix a child’s behavior, he says to check what your own behavior is causing.

Going deeper: Rabbi Landau's teaching, level by level

Surface claim

Chazal place the responsibility on the adults, not only on the child.

Deepest human truth

Adults are responsible for becoming someone a child can safely copy.

More questions from this teaching

• Do children learn more from what we teach them or from who we are?