March 3, 2013

Scholars have noted for centuries an apparent biblical contradiction about whether children are punished for the wrongdoing of their parents. On the one hand, Deuteronomy 24:16 says, “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin,” implying that all are judged on their own merits. On the other hand, Exodus 34:7 states, “[God] maintains love to thousands, and forgives wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation,” suggesting that children can indeed be punished for the mistakes of their parents.

The Gemarah (Sanhedrin 27b) gives a clear answer to this question: “It is written, ’He punishes the children for the sins of the fathers’!?  That is only when they grasp the deeds of their fathers in their hands.” The rabbis taught that this rule does not operate by metaphysical determinism but rather through human agency. If one chooses to continue the negative path that their parents set them on, then they will be punished for the mistakes their parents made and passed along to them. However, if they chose to break free from their upbringing, then they are virtuous.

Psychologists today believe that parents have a significant role to play in how their children develop, which increases the chance that their children will very likely end up similar to them. While ” target=”_blank”>study of more than 300 adoptive families demonstrated that there was a significant association between a hostile marital relationship, hostile parenting, and aggressive behavior by adopted toddlers. In addition, the feeling of financial strain was associated with hostile marital relations and aggressive behavior by the adopted toddler. Since the study involved adoptive parents and toddlers, genetics did not play a part in the correlation between antisocial personality traits and hostile marital and parental behavior. Another ” target=”_blank”>Professor Eleanor Maccoby, Barbara Kimball Browning Emerita Professor of Pscyhology at Standford University, stated 

” target=”_blank”>longevity, blood type, and susceptibility to certain diseases, disorders, and disabilities.  Research studies have also identified more than 50 locations on the genome associated with obesity. Unfortunately, thus far scientists have been unable to predict or develop personalized treatment for obesity, which indicates that we have much to learn in the area of genetic influence on children and how they develop.

Do children grow up to be like their parents? Politically and financially, the answer appears to be mostly yes. A” target=”_blank”>2012 election, young adults age 18-29 voted 60-37 percent for Democratic candidate Barack Obama, while their parents voted Democratic at a significantly lower rate. For example, those 40-49 voted 48 percent for Obama and 52 percent for Republican Mitt Romney. Financially, a recent ” target=”_blank”>Uri L'Tzedek, the Senior Rabbi at Kehilath Israel, and is the author of “” target=”_blank”>Rav Shmuly one of the top 50 rabbis in America.”