JUNE 13 • 2024 | 35
J
N
How to Parent
I
am a father of four little
girls (the oldest turning 5
in a week) and very often
life gets exciting. Every night
at bedtime, as you can well
imagine, things are hectic. The
mornings as well; break-
fast before my girls go
to school is buzzing. On
any specific day, one of
my girls loves the break-
fast; the other can’t stand
it (yesterday she loved
it ); the third is unsure
where she is holding
regarding eating today
and the fourth is throw-
ing her food piece by
piece across the room.
Really, sometimes the
only thing you can do is
look and laugh.
The fun, the joy and some-
times stress and pain really is
all part of the experience of
raising little ones.
As my children are getting
older, growing up from babies
to toddlers to uniform wear-
ing students, the question of
parenting is starting to weigh
heavily on my mind. What is
parenting all about? What is
the No. 1 thing expected of me
as a parent to provide to my
children?
This week’s Torah portion
and a coinciding story pro-
vides tremendous insight into
the role of a parent. Parshat
Naso introduces the idea of a
Nazir: a man that puts himself
in a holy state by making a
vow not to drink wine, cut his
hair or become impure by hav-
ing contact with a dead corpse.
One of the most famous
Nazirites in history was the
Prophet Samuel (Shmuel
Hanovi). His mother, Chana,
had a very difficult time con-
ceiving, and she swore that if
she would have a child, her
child would become a Nazir.
She promised her child would
be dedicated to G-d and live
the holiest Jewish life possible.
Shortly thereafter,
Samuel was conceived
and born; sure enough,
right from birth, Samuel
was raised as a Nazir.
Later, he would become
one of the greatest lead-
ers in Jewish history.
Chana under-
stood true parenting.
Parenting is not about
how well Samuel would
do in class; it wasn’t
about how handsome
and educated he would
become. It was something
much deeper and more essen-
tial.
She wanted her child to
be the best Jew possible.
Therefore, she made a vow,
even before he was born, that
she would make sure to raise
Samuel in the holiest and pur-
est fashion to ensure that he
would be the best version of
himself.
Parenting is having your eye
on one thing. How can I make
sure my child will be a proud
and upright Jew infused with
the proper Jewish values and
ethics?
Parenting is not just making
sure there is enough food on
the table and that your chil-
dren go to school (this also
must be done ), but rather
about making a conscious
effort: What can I do to ensure
that my Jewish values will be
passed onto my children?
Rabbi Menachem Caytak is rabbi at
the Chabad Jewish Center in Troy.
SPIRIT
TORAH PORTION
Rabbi
Menachem
Caytak
Parshat Naso:
Numbers
4:21-7:89;
Judges
13:2-25.
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