Reprimanding – Educating in negative commands and Stopping the child from transgressing:[1] A child who has not yet reached the age of understanding—that is, a child who does not comprehend at all when he is told that a certain act is forbidden as will be explained in Halacha ??—is not subject to an obligation upon the father to forcibly[2] prevent him from transgressing, or even reprimand him for doing so. Accordingly, the father is not required to restrain the child from eating forbidden foods, desecrating Shabbos[3], or, if the child is a kohen, to remove him from a cemetery, even when such acts involve a biblical prohibition. [This applies even if the child is performing a transgression in public.[4]] This is because the child lacks any understanding of the matter from which he is being restrained, and thus such prevention does not constitute meaningful education. [However, there are a number of matters relating to prohibitions in which it is customary to be careful from the very day a child is born, not as an obligation of formal chinuch, but in order to ensure that the child is surrounded by an atmosphere of holiness. Thus, for example, many are careful not to play non‑Jewish music in the presence of an infant, nor to place images of non‑kosher animals before him, even from the moment of birth. Although the child is far below the age of chinuch, these practices are observed in order to cultivate a sanctified environment and to immerse the child in holiness from his earliest moments. Furthermore, as explained at length in Chapter One and as will be reiterated below, although one is not obligated to prevent a child from transgressing when the child is below the age of chinuch, it nevertheless remains a biblical prohibition to actively provide the child with the means to transgress or to instruct him to do so. Additionally, when a child transgresses on behalf of an adult, the age of the child is irrelevant, and one is obligated to protest and stop the child’s actions, as was explained in Chapter 1 and as will be reiterated below.]
đź’¬ Example: The Curious Toddler
A two-year-old child wandered through a family gathering and reached for a non-kosher snack that had been brought by a non-observant relative. Technically, the child was far below the age of chinuch and could not possibly understand why the food was forbidden. Nevertheless, the parents gently removed the food and redirected the child to a kosher alternative. They did so not because they were formally obligated to educate the child in Kashrus at that age, but because a Jewish child should be accustomed from infancy to eating foods that are permitted. This example highlights the distinction between the formal obligation of chinuch and the general desire to raise a child in an environment of holiness.
Child Below Age of Chinuch
| Case | Must Parent Stop Child? |
| Eating non-kosher on own | No formal obligation |
| Desecrating Shabbos | No |
| Entering cemetery (Kohen child) | No |
| Public transgression | No |
| Gentile feeding child non-kosher | No formal obligation |
| Child acting for adult Jew | Yes |
| Adult helping child sin | Forbidden |
Non-Kosher Foods
| Situation | Ruling |
| Child eating non-kosher | Prevent whenever possible |
| Infant | Prevent whenever possible |
| Bystanders observing | Appropriate to stop |
| Medical need | Seek kosher alternative first |
| Nursing mother eating non-kosher | Avoid when possible |
| Pregnant woman eating non-kosher | Avoid when possible |
[1] Admur 343:3 “But a child who has no understanding at all: his father is not obligated to forcibly prevent him from eating forbidden foods or from desecrating Shabbat, even when the prohibition is from the Torah, since the child does not understand the concept of what he is being prevented from or separated from. Likewise, if he is a kohen, there is no obligation to remove him from a house that contains ritual impurity, unless he is a child who has understanding, in which case his father is obligated to remove him.”; Admur 616:2-4 “However, if the minor puts them on himself, whether one is required to protest is explained in סימן שמ״ג—see there. All of this applies to a minor who has not yet reached the age of education for the mitzvah of affliction.; M”A 343:2; Issur Viheter Shaar 48:8; Tosefes Shabbos 343:2; M”B 343:3; Kaf Hachaim 343:11; See Tosafus Erechin 3a; Ketzos Hashulchan 147 footnote 3; Piskeiy Teshvuos 343:2 and 12
Other opinions: Although from the Rama it can be understood that a father is obligated to refrain a child from transgressing even if the child is below the age of education [See Rama 343:1 “All this refers to a child who is below the age of Chinuch”], nevertheless from the Achronim [Admur ibid, Magen Avraham ibid, Mishneh Berura ibid] it is understood that this is an incorrect reading of the Rama, who refers simply to the exemption of others from reprimanding the child. However it seems from the Shach Yoreh Deah 81:26 that he learns that the father must stop his child from transgressing Biblical commands even if he is below the age of education, as the case there is referring to nursing a baby forbidden milk, and a nursing child is usually below the age of education. Vetzaruch Iyun!
[2] However, one should try to refrain him from eating forbidden foods as will be explained next. [Ketzos Hashulchan 147 footnote 3; Piskeiy Teshuvos 343:9]
[3] Admur ibid; Poskim ibid; Beir Moshe 6:20; Mishneh Halachos 3:49; 7:36; Sheilas Shaul 32; Shevet Halevi 7:104; Piskeiy Teshuvos 343:2 footnote 32 and 61
Other Opinions – Shabbos Melachah Performed by a Child Below the Age of Chinuch: The above Poskim all rule that a child who is below the age of chinuch does not require protest if he performs a melachah on Shabbos, as is the general principle by all prohibitions performed by a child who lacks mental maturity. However, some Poskim rule that Shabbat melachah is an exception to this general principle. According to this view, parents are biblically obligated to prevent their children from performing melachah on Shabbat even if the child has not yet reached the age of understanding or education. The reason given is that the Torah explicitly commands that one’s children rest on Shabbat, as stated in the verse: “You shall not do any work—you, your son, or your daughter.” Under this approach, young children are likened to one’s animals, which are likewise commanded to rest on Shabbat, and therefore parents bear a direct obligation to ensure that their children refrain from labor on Shabbat regardless of age. [Mishkanos Yaakov O.C. 118]
[4] See Mateh Efraim 589:5 Alef Lamagen 6; Piskeiy Teshuvos 343:2 footnote 30