יֵצֶר תִּינוֹק וְאִשָּׁה תְּהֵא שְׂמֹאל דּוֹחֶה וִימִין מְקָרֶבֶת

ביטוי (אנגלית)

A Child's Inclination and a Woman: The Left Repels and the Right Draws Near

הגדרה (אנגלית)

By way of analogy: a person needs to find the right balance in relation to his inclination, his child's upbringing, and his relationship with his wife. One should draw them near, but also know when to keep them at a distance when necessary; that is, not to yield to their demands absolutely.

("And again, a story about a child from Bnei Brak who broke a glass vessel, and his father shouted at him in his ear, and he became afraid of him, and went and destroyed himself in the well. They came and asked Rabbi Akiva, and he said: No one should restrain him from anything. And from this the sages said: A person should not shout in a child's ear, but rather either punish him immediately, or remain silent and say nothing. Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: A child's inclination and a woman's: the left repels and the right draws near" - Minor Tractates, Tractate Semachot, Chapter 2)