Holding my Father's Hand
When do a child's formative years begin? Might it be when the child enters kindergarten or middle school? Someone once asked this question to Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch while accompanied by their three year old child and he responded, "You missed the best three years of his life!"
Judaism teaches that from birth we create impressions on our children that shape their future. In fact, within the womb a child is learning "Torah" with an angel. The Talmud debates the youngest age appropriate for taking one's child on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Festivals. Whether the child can walk or can be carried on your shoulder, toddlers are old enough to imbibe the spiritual sounds and sights of a rendezvous with G-d and the Jewish people.
This message resonated within me in a recent conversation with my father, who as you know, moved to Israel this past week. I always reflect on my memory as a child holding hands with my father as we walked through a dark alley in the 1970's in Atlanta on our way to a Soviet Jewry rally. This formative experience infuses me with a life time sense of my responsibility to the Jewish people and my mission to create lasting memories for my children.
In this spirit, I mentioned to my father last week that Diane and I and two of our girls (who were not in camp) would drive to Newark airport to wish him and Meryl well before leaving to Israel. My father told me that he would rather I not spend three hours driving but use the time to study Torah. I responded to my father that going to the airport was not for us but for our children. Diane and I wanted our children to see their grandparents making aliyah and other families who chose to establish new homes in Israel. My father remarked, "Aha, you are right" as he knew the impact that such "trips" had on me as a child.
As we drove back from the airport after witnessing my father, step mother and other Jews leaving for Israel, we passed Mt. Vernon, NY, my father's birthplace and hometown. I wondered about his life journey from Mt. Vernon to Jerusalem and how his experiences with his own father, David Cohen, nurtured seeds of inspiration implanted within him as a child that sparked his dream of living in Israel. Next time we speak I will ask him. Next time you are with your child or grandchild, hold their hands and take them on the trip of a lifetime!
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