We human beings lead limited lives, bounded by our birth and our death. Our mortality is one of the ultimate laws of our existences. I suspect that this is the truth represented by God’s adamant insistence that Moses not cross the Jordan westward into the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 3:26)—the west represents the future, and no human being (not even the great Moses) can arrive alive at the future. Despite all our desire, all our protestation, we can only live right now.
We cannot reach the future, but we can influence it. In the first paragraph of the V’ahavta, sourced as well from this week’s parshah, the Hebrews are commanded to “impress (these words of instruction) upon your children” (Deuteronomy 6:7). A few verses later, we are coached how to answer our children when they ask us “What mean the decrees, laws, and rules that the Eternal our God has enjoyed upon you?” (9:20).
Raising healthy children (our family’s and the community’s), imbuing them with good values, teaching them how to function properly in the world—this is how we cross westward, into the future. This week, when the Syndi Scheck Yad b’Yad Preschool opened its doors for another boisterous, joyous year, I am reminded of the words of educator Christa McAuliffe: “I touch the future. I teach.”
No comments:
Post a Comment