By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Sefas Tamim Foundation

A question is often asked as to how it could be that people learned in Torah can have children who eventually go off the derech of Torah.

Rav Menachem Mendel of Riminov is cited by Rabbi Mordechai Leifer in his Pisgamei Oraisah (p.97) in answer to this question.  He explains that just like non-kosher food is metamtev halaiv –  that consuming non-kosher renders a person less intelligent in Torah study, the same is true with all prohibited food (see Tractate Yuma 39a).  Rav Menachem Mendel  of Riminov extends the idea of “non-kosher” to foods that were purchased with money obtained dishonestly or by illicit means.  Since the child is eating food purchased with prohibited funds this has a detrimental effect upon the spiritual development of the child.

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