Shulchan Arukh Orach Chayim · Siman 343

Shulchan Arukh Orach Chayim 343 — English translation

Translation: Sefaria Community Translation. Section numbers match the Hebrew text above.

1. 1Laws of a Child on Shabbat. A child may eat unkosher meat and the court is not required to prevent him from doing so, but his father must rebuke him and stop him from doing this (Torah prohibition). It is forbidden to actively feed him even foods that are only rabbinically forbidden. Similarly, it is forbidden to allow him to regularly desecrate Shabbat or holidays, even with rabbinically forbidden activities. Rema: There are some who limit this to a child who has not reached the age of education, but if he has reached this age, it is necessary to prevent him from sinning (Tosafot Perek Kol Kitvei), and some say that only his father, and not the court, is responsible for the child's education (Beit Yosef). If a child struck his father or transgressed otherwise in his youth, even though he does not need to repent when he matures, it is still good for him to take upon himself some element of repentance and atonement, even though his sin was at age when he was not eligible for punishment (Piskei Mahara"i Chapter 2).

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