[Avodah] your son speaks harshly to you, so you

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Thu, Apr 21, 2016 at 10:41:11PM +1000, Rabbi Meir G. Rabi, its Kosher! via Avodah wrote:
: Re the son the Rasha - your son is saying something harsh to you, so you
: should also say something harsh to him
: 
: This is not in line with our tradition that a soft response demolishes the
: harsh attack.

Maybe it's true by definition. A rasha is someone who is beyond listening.
And the child ready to hear the soft response isn't a rasha.

I saw someone suggest haqheih here is meant in the sense of morbid craving,
not blunting. As in Y-mi Shevi'is 4:6 (vilna 12a) "Amar Rabbi Avun: derekh
haqeihus okhelin oso".

And shinav -- in the sense of veshinantam.

In which case, you have the pretty idea: Make him crave his studies.

But it doesn't work. "Haqhei es shinav" is an idiom that is used
elsewhere by Chazal, such as Sotah 49a (2x).

(There is also "anavim qeihos" as unripe or sour grapes in Avos 4:20,
but that may just be a third usage.)

But since haqhei es shinav is an idiom, maybe the idiomatic meaning is
far milder than a literal translation. Like "shut him up". (Edginess of
my translation intentional, to relay the aggressiveness implied by the
idiom.)

:-)||ii!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 4th day
micha at aishdas.org        in/toward the omer.
http://www.aishdas.org   Netzach sheb'Chesed: When is Chesed an
Fax: (270) 514-1507                           imposition on others?