Green Stems and Red Petals
A teacher once instructed her students to take out their crayons and paper for "drawing time"."We are now going to draw," she said.
The students took our their supplies and were just about to begin...
"Wait!" the teacher said. "I will tell you when to start..."
The teacher waited till all of the students placed their crayons back on their desks.
"Today we are going to draw a flower," she instructed.
The children picked up their crayons...
"Wait! Like this..." the teacher said.
Walking over to the blackboard, the teacher began to draw a green stem and a flower with six red petals, and instructed the students to do the same.
The students dutifully copied the teacher's flower.
And so went art instruction in this class.
One day a child from this class visited a school in another town.
"We are going to have drawing time," the teacher said.
The children took out their crayons and began drawing.
The visiting student just sat there, waiting.
The teacher asked him why he wasn't drawing.
"Oh, we should start now?" he asked.
"Yes. You can start," the teacher replied.
"What should we draw?" the visitor asked
"What ever you want..." came the answer.
"Really? anything I want?" the boy asked.
"Sure! You can draw anything you want..."
The boy went on to draw a flower with a green stem and six red petals...
***
Psychologists use this story to illustrate the danger in stifling children's creativity, and the harm inherent in giving too much instruction to children. The prevailing attitude is: Children are perfect. Children need their space. Don't get in the way. Don't tell them what to do.
Needless to say, while this approach certainly satisfies the Yetzer Hara - whose entire focus is the unbridled quest of satisfying and promoting one's self - it stifles the very essence and Neshama of our children.
And it is our job to right this wrong.
***
ועיר פרא אדם יולד
The human is born with imperfections. Base and ignoble. As parents and educators, we have the awesome privilege and responsibility of transforming our children's animalistic impulses and help them develop a divine and noble character.
We need to teach our children what to do. Exactly what to do. And exactly when to do it.
While Hashem certainly wants every Yid to serve Him with his unique talents and personality, when it comes to the practical details of Torah and Mitzvos, there is no room for "creativity" and "space". A Mitzvah is only accomplished when it is done exactly as it is prescribed in the Torah, and the Torah can only effect a person when he learns it with complete Bitul and Kabolas Ol to Hashem, the Giver of the Torah.
As such, when it comes to Torah and Mitzvos, we need to show our children exactly when and how to "draw a green stem and red petals". Not sooner, and not later. Nothing more and nothing less.
***
חנוך לנער על פי דרכו, גם כי יזקין לא יסור ממנה
We know that we have satisfied the responsibility, when we see that even when they are not in our presence, or when they have grown up, our children do not deviate from the path that we have taught them.
We know that we have taught our children correctly, when we see that even when "visiting another town", and given "permission to draw whatever they want", they still "draw a green stem and red petals".
Based on Ma'amar Klolei Chinuch Vehadracha, chapter 2, and Ma'amar Shuva Yisroel 5737.
