- The relevance of the age of Chinuch:
In the previous Chapter we explained and clarified the obligation of a father to educate his son and daughter in Torah and Mitzvos. [Halacha 2 and 7A] This obligation includes both biblical and rabbinic commandments, and applies to both positive and negative commandments. [Halacha 3A] We further explained the father’s duty to reprimand his child when the child transgresses a prohibition, whether Biblical or Rabbinical. [Halacha 3B] In addition, we clarified the prohibition that applies to every individual—even one who is not the child’s father—to actively assist a minor in performing a prohibition. This includes providing the child with the means to perform the forbidden act or instructing him to do so. We explained that this prohibition applies regardless of the child’s age and is binding with respect to children of all ages. [Halacha 8] In this Chapter, we will clarify the following issue: from what age is a father obligated to educate his child in the positive and negative commandments, in order to accustom him to the observance of mitzvot, and to reprimand him for performing prohibitions? This obligation of education and reprimand differs fundamentally from the prohibition of feeding a child a forbidden item or actively enabling him to transgress, which applies at all ages. By contrast, the obligation to educate and to reprimand a child for actions he performs on his own applies only once the child has reached the age of chinuch. Defining this age precisely is the central focus of this Halacha.