ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the question of the obligation of a father for the maintenance of his small children in Talmudic law. A radical manifestation of this trend was the Usha Regulation: however, there is no consensus in the Talmudic sources as to the legal validity of this regulation. In the Babylonian tradition as well, however, a trend towards strengthening the legal bond between the father and son is evident, and towards the end of the period, this bond was placed on a firm legal footing, even if not on the basis of the Usha Regulation itself. Most of the Tannaitic sources are similar, in that, in the period of Yavneh and later, attempts are made to create a stronger legal bond between the father and his children. Resh Lakish did not provide basic details about this regulation, such as the motives for its enactment, the conditions of its application and the extent thereof.
