Q&A: A Son Benefits His Father
A Son Benefits His Father
Question
Hello,
The Sages say that a son benefits his father after the father’s death.
How can a person’s spiritual standing after his death be affected by something another person does in this world?
And even more so: what a person did in this world is what he did—so how does his “status” change as a result of the son’s actions?
Thank you very much.
Answer
I have absolutely no idea what happens up there or in the future. And I don’t think anyone else does either.
As for the claim itself, it seems to me that it means the father’s investment in his son bears fruit. If the son performs commandments, that means the father’s investment produced more fruit, and he deserves more reward. The assumption here, of course, is that the consideration is consequentialist; otherwise, why should it matter what the son does? After all, what the father invested in him is what he did in the past regardless of the son’s actions, and for that he deserves the credit.