The Torah portion we read this week is not easy to absorb. It is one of two places in the Torah where G-d describes the severe consequences of sin. The imagery is so stark that it can leave one shaken. In Chabad tradition, it is said that Rabbi Dovber, the second Rebbe, fainted as a child upon hearing the rebuke read aloud. Though that story refers to the other rebuke I mentioned earlier, the emotional truth is the same.

The Love Within Punishment Chassidic masters teach that even these harsh passages are expressions of G-d’s love. One way to understand this is simple, though not easy: G-d cares enough to discipline us.

When our child and a neighbor’s child misbehave, we discipline our own child, not the neighbor’s. Not merely because it isn’t our place, but because we do not love the neighbor’s child enough to cause them pain. Discipline is costly. It hurts the one who gives it more than the one who receives it.

Children are naturally exuberant. They run, they play, and sometimes they break things. It feels harsh to punish them for acting their age. But a parent looks beyond the present moment to the child’s future. What is cute at five will not be charming at fifteen. We teach difficult lessons now so they can grow into responsible adults later.

And so we do something deeply uncomfortable: we discipline our children, even when it pains us. We accept that pain because we love them. With someone else’s child, we step back—we do not love them enough to bear that burden.

I once walked into a casino out of curiosity, not to gamble.  I was curious and young, a........

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