Jew on Shabbat

She Interrupted my meeting! Rabbi Chaim Bruk On Thursday, while on a Zoom meeting with our CFO, I missed a call from LGHS, the high school that Chaya attends in Chicago. I paused the meeting and immediately called back to see if everything was ok. Thank G-d all was well; it was Chaya calling both me and Chavie, during school, which is highly unusual, to let us know that she did well on her “Gemer”, which is intensive testing on a broad range of Jewish knowledge. My heart was filled; happy for her success, joyous for her growth and delighted to hear a tone of satisfaction in her voice. It’s her third year away from home and she’s excelling as a shining example of a “Daughter of Israel”. In this week’s Torah portion, Vayera, we read about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the wickedness of the people who brought it upon themselves. Lot, who lived in Sodom, was not exactly an angel, far from it, but being the nephew of Abraham and Sarah, having grown up in their home, he had a deeply embedded spark of kindness in his soul. So, despite the risk of being punished by his fellow citizens, he opened his home to the angels disguised as guests, being super hospitable to strangers, despite the danger associated with his actions. His record on “holiness” was abysmal, but he couldn’t shake off his childhood training to care for others and exude unbridled compassion. I once read that “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them”. While I do not think that this is an absolute science, as many good parents have children who don’t necessarily follow in their footsteps, Chavie and I always strive to role model kindness for our children and to show them, by example, what we see as valuable in this chaotic world. Chaya works really hard in school; she is a deep thinker, inquisitive student, and always showing kindness especially to those struggling. Today I am celebrating the phone call of joy and the success of a young Jewish woman, I’m honored to call my daughter, who is excited about her heritage and working hard to grow evermore. We impart values; we can only hope that they’re paying attention! May G-d guard our brethren in Israel and the world over from harm and send us Mashiach speedily. May G-d protect the armed forces of Israel and the United States wherever they may be!