On the way back from the shluchim banquet in New Jersey, a few weeks ago. I sat next to an old acquaintance, Rabbi Engel. Around 15 years ago he moved to Australia to service the community there. Having grown up to a family of Shluchim in the state of Colorado, USA, his parents were blessed with 12 children. I asked him, “How was your father able to pay all that yeshivah tuition?” There were years when 5 children were studying abroad that total tution price could add up to more than 75 thousand dollars a year! Rabbi Engel had already thought about that as he just sent his first son away to yeshiva. He asked his father, who had much experience, for some advice. “I too do not know how we did it??!” said his father.
The matriarchs in this week’s Torah Portion of Vayeitzei wanted to have children. And how many was never under consideration, as the more the better. It was not to get a pension from the future dad, as Yaakov was quite poor. They wanted to have children as they knew that their children would be future leaders and shape the Jewish nation. Who would not want to have such pride from their child?
However, are women today saintly matriarchs? What will be of our children in the future?
Maimonides teaches “Although a person has fulfilled the mitzvah of being fruitful and multiplying (with 2 children), he is bound by a Rabbinic commandment not to refrain from being fruitful and multiplying as long as he is physically potent, for anyone who adds a soul to the Jewish people is considered as if he built an entire world.”
G-d willing the child that you bring into the world will bring more children to this world. They will live a life of purpose while impacting their environment and others. And they will truly build an entire world: theirs.
If we have that attitude and a lot of trust in G-d, the future is bright for all our children. At the end of the day they are our eternal legacy. And if you were never blessed with children or are having struggles with one of your own, consider sponsoring someone’s education.
1) R. Shmuel bar Nahmani said in the name of R. Yonatan: Anyone who teaches someone else’s son Torah is considered as though he gave birth to him..
2) A woman named Neima Chakian once wanted to do something in merit of someone dear to her and asked the Rebbe for a suggestion.
The Rebbe told her to ‘Adopt’ a young student who learns Torah and donating his expenses to learn in a Yeshiva.”
“I wrote a young student in the singular,” the Rebbe notes, “but of course it can be more than one, according to your abilities.”
May Hashem provide all your needs to bring into this world, healthy and successful children to lead the way and bring Moshiach.
