In this weeks parsha the pasuk states (20;1-3) anyone who gives any of his offspring to Molech, shall surely be put to death…..And I will set My attention upon that man, and I will cut him off from amidst his people, because he gave of his offspring to Molech in order to defile My holy ones and to profane My holy Name.

It seems from the simple meaning, that this is an act that really aggravates Hashem. The Smag says that a ‘death by Beis Din’ is a kaparah for the aveira which purifies ones soul. But here, Hashem doesn’t want the person to have a kaparah; so there is no option for a death by Beis Din. That is how harsh and severe the act of molech is.

Firstly, we have to understand, what exactly is molech? There’s a disagreement in the gemarah (Sanhedrin) as to what exactly molech is. The majority follow Reb Elazar ben Reb Shimon who says that molech is not an avodah zora. It was an ancient customary procedure that the goyim used to carry out with their children. Rashi says that they didn’t exactly burn their children; rather, they just walked them between two fires. The Ramban in parshas Achrei Mos offers another opinion, that they did indeed burn the children and that the father would be needed to walk his child to the fire and place him/walk him through the fire.

Rav Simcha Maimon, Shlit”a, says that Rashi is of the view that the custom itself was that the father actually gives over the child to the priest. The actual presentation of giving the child over to the priest is the aveira in itself. But we see from here that one thing is clear…and that is-no matter whom you go according to, Hashem takes specific offense to this and He has a particular anger that is unleashed at a person who does such a fad. We don’t find a kaparah we can offer to such a person. One must ask himself, why? If you give all your children over to molech you have not transgressed the aveira-yet (as the gemarah in Sanhedrin 61b says), so why is it so severe that there is no kaparah?

Rashi offers an explanation and says that the reason why it is so severe to Hashem is because by doing so that person has ‘contaminated the entire klal Yisroel, who is betrothed to me!’ Just like you cannot contaminate my mikdash so too can you not contaminate klal Yisroel!

The idea here is as follows; we all have flaws and most of us know our own shortcomings. Sometimes we succumb to them and other times we prevail. Yet, one thing is clear; we have to give our children a chance! If a person holds onto his foolishness it’s one thing. But to hand it off to your young and impressionable child or to a priest is an unforgivable act. A child who can bring tremendous kovod shem shomayim into this world and you strip him of that chance and take that opportunity away from him, such and act says Hashem, is intolerable. Why? Because you’re destroying an entire generation!

Don’t shlep your children into your silliness. Most of us who are adults are making decisions daily. Why destroy our children’s chances of growing by dragging them into our narishkeit (especially by handing them over to molech)? Let them have the opportunity and allow them be mekadesh shem shomayim.

The following story is powerful, yet brings out this idea.

There was a person in a certiain shul that always made sure to have his ‘kiddush club’. He only had two or three participants but it was enough for them to continue it. With time, the other two people moved away and he was down to just himself. He would try every week to get someone to join him but no one was really interested. Finally, one week, after he asked the same person for the tenth time to join him he gave into his yetzer hara and got up from his chair to go join him. Just as he stood up, his ten year old son-who was watching all this- looks at his father shockingly and asks ‘Ta, you’re one of those?’ Embarrassed, the father turned around and sat himself back down next to his precious ten year old.

If a person shows an appreciation for davening and sits through it then he is giving his child a chance. Such a person can be sure that his son will appreciate tefillah-knowing that his father wants to go out for a few minutes and chooses not to because davening is more important. How special do you think this child views his father now? Very. On the contrary, how unfortunate is the child of the other man-who week in-week out leave krias haTorah to have a l’chaim, without skipping a week. If we don’t allow our children the opportunity it may be as if we are chas v’shalom handing them off to molech-which comes with no kaparah.

(search by: kedoshim; Sanhedrin; Kiddush club; rav simcha maimon; molech; allowing your children the opportunity; contaminating klal yisroel; Hashem unleashing his wrath)