(ה) וְיָדַעְתָּ֖ עִם־לְבָבֶ֑ךָ כִּ֗י כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר יְיַסֵּ֥ר אִישׁ֙ אֶת־בְּנ֔וֹ יקוק אֱלֹקֶ֖יךָ מְיַסְּרֶֽךָּ׃
(5) Bear in mind that the LORD your God disciplines you just as a man disciplines his son.
כי כאשר ייסר איש את בנו שיתן עליו לטובתו עול מוסר כענין שנאמר (משלי יט יח) יסר בנך כי יש תקוה ואל המיתו אל תשא נפשך כן יקוק אלקיך מיסרך מתחלה בענוי המדבר ונסיון המן שתערב לנפשך טובת הארץ ופירותיה על כן אמר אחריו (פסוק ז) כי יקוק אלקיך מביאך אל ארץ טובה:
אלא בשוה לאביו קאמר תניא נמי הכי רבי יהודה אומר אם לא היתה אמו שוה לאביו בקול ובמראה ובקומה אינו נעשה בן סורר ומורה מאי טעמא דאמר קרא איננו שומע בקלנו מדקול בעינן שוין מראה וקומה נמי בעינן שוין
Rather, Rabbi Yehuda is saying that the boy’s mother must be identical to his father in several aspects. The Gemara comments: This is also taught in a baraita: Rabbi Yehuda says: If his mother was not identical to his father in voice, appearance, and height, he does not become a stubborn and rebellious son. The Gemara asks: What is the reason for this? As the verse states: “He will not obey our voices [kolenu]” (Deuteronomy 21:20), which indicates that they both have the same voice. And since we require that they be identical in voice, we also require that they be identical in appearance and height.
חֲנֹ֣ךְ לַ֭נַּעַר עַל־פִּ֣י דַרְכּ֑וֹ גַּ֥ם כִּֽי־יַ֝זְקִ֗ין לֹֽא־יָס֥וּר מִמֶּֽנָּה׃
(6) Train a lad in the way he ought to go; He will not swerve from it even in old age.
לפיכך אימותיהן של כהנים וכו': טעמא דלא מצלו הא מצלו מייתי והכתיב (משלי כו, ב) כצפור לנוד כדרור לעוף כן קללת חנם לא תבא (א"ל) ההוא סבא מפירקיה דרבא שמיע לי שהיה להן לבקש רחמים על דורן ולא בקשו
§ The mishna teaches: Therefore, the mothers of High Priests would provide those exiled to cities of refuge with sustenance and garments so that they would not pray that their sons will die. The Gemara asks: The reason that the High Priest will not die is that they do not pray; but if they prayed for the death of the High Priest, would he die? But isn’t it written: “As the wandering sparrow, as the flying swallow, so a curse that is baseless shall come home” (Proverbs 26:2)? Why does the mishna express concern over a baseless curse? A certain elder said to him: I heard in the lecture delivered by Rava that it is not a baseless curse, as the High Priests share the blame for the unintentional murders performed by these people, as they should have pleaded for mercy for their generation, that no murder should transpire, even unintentionally, and they did not plead. Due to their share in the blame, prayers for their death could be effective.
(י) ואשר בחר - ותמיד תהיה תפלת האב והאם שגורה בפיהם להתפלל על בניהם שיהיו לומדי תורה וצדיקים ובעלי מדות טובות ויכוין מאוד בברכת אהבה רבה ובברכת התורה בשעה שאומרים ונהיה אנחנו וצאצאינו וכן כשאומר בובא לציון למען לא ניגע לריק ולא נלד לבהלה:
ויתכן בדרך הפשט שבא להוסיף בכאן לדברבם כי שם (דברים ו׳:ז׳) צוה ודברת אתה בם בשבתך בביתך וכאן אמר שנלמד אותם את בנינו עד שידברו בם הבנים בכל שעה וכן הוסיף בכאן ולמדתם אותם כי ושננתם שיספר להם המצות וכאן עד שילמדו אותם וידעום ויבינו אותם וטעמיהם לדבר עמך בם בכל העתים:
(1) THEREFORE SHALL YE PUT THESE MY WORDS IN YOUR HEART. “Even after you have been exiled, be distinguished by the commandments. Put on the T’fillin, attach a Mezuzah [to the doorpost of your home], so that they will not be novelties to you when you return to the Land. And so Scripture states, Set thee up waymarks.” This is Rashi’s language. Now I have already written on the meaning of this matter, that these commandments [the T’fillin and the Mezuzah mentioned by Rashi] are personal obligations and, as such, their laws apply in all places just as in the Land! But there is in this Midrash a profound secret, and I have already alluded to it. Now he repeated these commandments about the T’fillin, the study of the words of the Torah, and the Mezuzah, a second time in order to allude to this analogy, that we shall be obligated to observe them after being exiled from the Land of Israel. From these [texts] we learn that all commandments that are personal obligations are binding in all places and that, outside the Land of Israel, we are exempt from duties which apply to ground, such as heave-offering and tithes. So it is interpreted in the Sifre. And the intent of this interpretation is suggested by the fact that he placed the expression therefore shall ye put [these my words in your heart] next to [the verse], and ye shall perish [quickly from off the good Land thus clearly intimating that even after ye shall perish from off the good Land you shall still put these My words in your heart]. But the main reference of the verse [even regarding personal obligations] applies to the Land, as it is written, that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, upon the Land; or it may be that the verse is stating: “that your days may be multiplied, so that you will return [to the Land] and you will prolong your days on it forever.”In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, it is possible that he comes to add here the expression to speak of them, for there [in the first charge to the individual] he commanded and ‘thou’ shalt speak — you yourself — of them when ‘thou’ sittest in thy house, and here [in the charge to the community he stated that we are to teach the words of Torah to our children until they speak of them always. So also he added here and ye shall ‘teach’ them, for the term v’shinantom [mentioned there] means only that he shall “tell” them the commandments, and here [he added that the obligation extends] until they teach the words of Torah [to their children] and they understand them and their reasons [well enough] to discuss them with you at all times. So also he added here as the days of the heavens above the earth which means “for all generations,” or it may refer to the first heaven and earth, and the days of old. The student learned [in the mysteries of the Cabala] will understand.