The first chapters of Parshat Vayikra discuss the various forms of sacrifices which people would bring under various circumstances. The Rabbis in the Midrash comment that when children are brought to school to begin learning Torah, the first subject they should learn – even before Parashat Bereshit, the story of creation, and even before the stories of the avot (patriarchs), of Yetziat Mitzrayim and Matan Torah – is this subject, the laws of the sacrifices. The reason, the Midrash explains, is הואיל וקרבנות טהורים והתינוקות טהורים, יבואו טהורים ויתעסקו בטהורים – “since the sacrifices are pure and the young children are pure, let those who are pure involve themselves in that which is pure.” We have the children first learn the subject of sacrifices in order to expose them to the themes of kedushah (holiness) and taharah (purity), expressing that we want them to remain holy and pure. Young children are innocent and pure – and from a very young age, we teach them about matters of holiness and purity so that they retain these qualities. The Rabbis here are teaching us that if we want to influence and motivate our children, we need to reach them when they’re young. We cannot wait until they are older to teach them about Torah life and what it is about; this process has to begin when they are very young. Parashat Vayikra marks the first time Hashem spoke to Moshe inside the Mishkan , which the people had just built. The Torah tells us elsewhere that Hashem’s voice came to Moshe from the top of the aron (ark), specifically, from in between the two keruvim (cherubs) which were placed on top of the aron . The keruvim were images of young children. Hashem’s voice came from the keruvim to teach us that Hashem’s voice can be heard the clearest when we are taught and trained from a young age, as small children. A young tree has soft branches that can be bent with relative ease. As a tree grows older, its branches become tough and sturdy, such that they cannot bend. The same is true of our children. In their younger years, they are impressionable. They are more open to our guidance and influence. Once they grow older, they became “tough” and resistant. Of course, it is never too late to learn and change. But the older a person gets, the more difficult this becomes. Parents need to take advantage of their children’s younger years, the stage when the children are טהורים , to expose them to טהורים , to matters of kedushah , in order to influence them and inspire them to follow Torah. As part of this effort, we need to be especially careful about the kind of messages we unintentionally convey to our children. One example is through the compliments we give them and others. When children hear their parents enthusiastically talk about how good-looking a certain young woman is, the children learn that this is what is important. When children hear their parents enthusiastically raving about other children who are smart and get excellent grades, they learn that what matters is intelligence and test scores, as opposed to hard work and effort. We need to reach our children when they’re young, to convey to them in their earlier years that what matters most is their connection to Hashem, their love of Torah, their middot (fine character traits), and hard work. These lessons cannot wait until they’re older; it is when they are young and טהורים that we must try to expose them to טהורים , to the beauty and kedusha of Torah values and Torah life.