For an under 3 minute audio click here
Just as parents are obligated to raise children who will become emotionally, morally and practically self-sufficient adults, Jewish parents have an added responsibility to raise children who are Jewishly self-sufficient.
G-d entrusted us with Jewish children. The education they receive needs to nurture their unique Jewish individuality and soul.
The Jewishness of our children is central to their identity. When we help them realise this special potential, we give them the greatest possible gift, the gift of being themselves.
We need to give our children Judaism in a form that allows them to own it, one that encourages and enables them to become independently Jewish and proud practicing Jews.
But how do we accomplish this difficult feat?
Our relationship with Judaism, studying Torah and keeping the Mitzvot certainly comes with challenges, and at the same time it is the greatest blessing. Calling it the greatest blessing, is not being in denial, it’s about our choice of focus.
This choice is fateful, for it will have a tremendous impact on our children. The way we view our Jewishness, is key to how (and whether) our children will embrace it.
Essential for Jewish continuity is a positive attitude about Judaism. The ingredient that helps ensure that our children become self-sufficient Jewish adults is a healthy dose of Jewish pride and viewing Judaism, the Torah and Mitzvot, as the greatest possible gift.
“Many Jews believe that what unites us as a people today are memories of the Holocaust and fears of antisemitism. The Rebbe taught the opposite message. What unites us is not that other people hate us, but that G-d loves us; that every one of us is a fragment of the Divine presence and together we are the physical presence of G-d on earth. This message – spiritual, mystical as it is – is more powerful, noble and caring than the alternative.”
-Paraphrased from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, phD
In our daily morning prayers we declare “Fortunate are we! How good is our portion, how pleasant is our lot and how beautiful our heritage.”
It’s time we impart that message to our children