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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