No Favoritism

The Gemara in מסכת שבת gives some parenting instructions. לעולם אל ישנה אדם בנו בין הבנים, that one should never treat his child distinctly from his other children.

The Gemara goes on to say that on account of a tunic of fine wool, the weight of two sela’im, which Yakov gave to Yosef... his brothers became envious, and the matter led to our forefathers going down to Egypt.

This is an important message for parents that they should not show favoritism between children.

There should be a deep inborn love that a parent has for all of his children. There is something highly abnormal if a parent honestly feels more love for one child over the others.

While Yakov’s behavior is difficult to understand, and perhaps his treatment of Yosef was consolation for the loss of his beloved Rachel, there is no doubt that he loved all of his children.

Someone once said that it is our duty to give unconditional love to our children, even though we might enjoy the company of one child over the other. We must be clear to make that distinction between loving and enjoying.

It appears that Yakov made a regrettable mistake with Yosef. The Torah is teaching us to learn from his mistake.