With Hashem’s help we have already gleaned so many invaluable Chinuch lessons from the topic of the Ben Sorer U’Moreh. Once again let us delve deeply into this topic so that we may continue to mine the gems that are buried within. וְאָֽמְר֞וּ אֶל־זִקְנֵ֣י עִיר֗וֹ בְּנֵ֤נוּ זֶה֙ סוֹרֵ֣ר וּמֹרֶ֔ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ שֹׁמֵ֖עַ בְּקֹלֵ֑נוּ זוֹלֵ֖ל וְסֹבֵֽא And they shall say to the elders of his city, “This son of ours is wayward and rebellious; he does not obey us; [he is] a glutton and a guzzler.” Notice that the parents introduce the Ben Sorer U’Moreh as “this son of ours…” The Gemara in Sanhedrin derives from this that the parents must be able to point out their child. If they are blind, then the child cannot be considered a Ben Sorer U’Moreh. Why does the blindness of the parents exempt the child from being a Ben Sorer U’Moreh? While there are many possible explanations, the one that moved me was that the “blind” parent does not see the unique and individual nature of this particular child. Different seeds require unique environments and specialized farming techniques to nurture the development of that particular seed. What works for one does not necessarily work for another. The acorn has everything it needs to become the mighty oak but if it is treated as an orange seed it cannot grow into its full potential. This child was raised like the rest of his siblings and while that Chinuch approach may have been exactly what his brothers and sisters needed it was exactly the opposite of wh
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