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תורת רושל זלLetters to a Future Child
iving into the Unknown
TT o my dearest daughter,
I wrote this quite some time ago, but I am confident that at this moment you are ready to dive into Judaism, you are ready for the commitment, and on this day of your Bat Mitzvah, that is a pivotal moment in which you are thrust into adulthood, I have full faith that you will succeed. You will fly to the greatest heights because you are supported by love, love found within your family, your friends, your community, this amazing religion, and most importantly on this very day, love from Hashem. Judaism will make such a mark on your life, changing you for the better. You were born into a community, into a faith that demands so much from you, but gives even more. Your father and I are have been blessed to be part of this faith, and along with this covenant comes obligation and responsibility. We, as Jews, chose to be part of this covenant at Har Sinai, and now, you will join us in exploring the covenant, interpreting and reinterpreting the Torah, and discovering yourself through the help of this timeless and ever-so-holy text. You are given the greatest blessing, the greatest gift. You will come to learn that Judaism, that this special, covenantal community is profoundly impactful on your
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Elitsa Sklar life and is a part of who you are. I am now going to speak about four elements that define Judaism, that will shape your Judaism, and these are: community, tradition, obligation, and the power of faith.
Judaism provides a community like no other. A fundamental part of living the covenant is the community. Community is not just about being able to ask your Jewish neighbors for olive oil so that you can complete your batch of brownies and get them in the oven before the 18 minutes end in order for you to have dessert for Shabbat. No, community is more; community is there when someone is sitting shiva, community is there when someone has a baby, community is there to learn torah with, community will challenge you, and community will help you grow. Community is there to help the poor, releasing land during the seventh year so that “achlu evyonei amecha, the poor may eat with you” (Shemot 23:11). Community is there to redeem captives, as lack of action to redeem is comparable to murder: “Kol rega she’efshar lifdot shevuyin, heicha d’efshar, kielu shofech damim. Every moment where it is possible to redeem captives, and one delays, it is as if one sheds blood” (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah, 252:3). See Sklar, next page
