Spanking Little Kids

Does Judaism comment on whether or not it is acceptable for a small boy to receive a mild spank on his bottom if he misbehaves?

Shalom!

Thank you for your question.

Although according to Jewish law it is permitted to occasionally hit small children as a means of discipline. However, nowadays this is not the approach and there are other ways one should educate his children.

It is worth mentioning that the sages teach us that there are three matters in which one must be firm yet loving, and that is when dealing with the evil inclination, children, and women. One must be sure to balance the discipline with love, especially when dealing with challenges in the latter two.

One of the reasons why we don't hit our children in such a manner even though it is technically permissible. As the Pele Yoetz writes: “this is not limited to striking an adult son, for the rationale is that he causes his son to lash out at him and degrade his father... but even a young child, as long as the father knows that he does not accept authority, as in our generations, when impudence has increased, and [even a young] son lashes out at his father.”

Sotah 47a; OC 551:18; YD 240:20; Rema, YD 233:1; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 143:18; 165:1,7; 184:2; Pele Yoetz, Haka’ah.