In general, as I close in on the completion of writing this weekly email for the last nine years, I have always focused on Aish and not on my personal life. In many ways, I view one’s personal life as just that, deeply personal and not necessarily one to be shared widely. I know that may go against the grain of how so many live their lives openly online, yet it is my feeling that a person’s family is a gift from the Almighty to help guide them through life. It is with that in mind, that I want to share the incredible news that my daughter got married last night!
My wife and I have been blessed to marry off our second child in six months. The experience has been one that in many ways escapes description. The Almighty blesses you with a child who you have the responsibility of raising, mentoring, and nurturing to the best of your ability. Then it comes time for them to choose someone to continue their life’s journey with.
There is no doubt that this process is a little scary. Who can your child find that is good enough for them? Is there someone out there who can improve on the job that you have done and elevate your child to greater heights? The Talmud is clear that the Almighty is deeply involved in this process and acts as the Matchmaker for all couples. Having now welcomed a son-in-law and daughter-in-law into my family, I have no doubt of the Almighty’s intimate involvement in this process. Both of them are the perfect match for my children and will help them achieve so much more than they could have by themselves.
This is the definition of family. It is a unit where everyone finds themselves driven to be better. To do better. To rise to fulfill their potential. I have spoken many times about how the world at large has no idea of what to make of the Jews. They commonly ask whether we are a nation, a race, or a religion. My answer has always been the same. Jews are a family, plain and simple. We love each other with the deepest love possible. We encourage each other to constantly grow. We are there to pick each other up when we fall. That is also the secret of why, as hard as the nations of the world try, they will never break the spirit of the Jew. Our secret is that we have each other. There is nothing stronger than when Jews are united in common love for one another and in love for the Almighty.
While this national unity and support keeps us going on a global level, it is the family that is the ultimate fuel for one’s heart. Having a supportive spouse and children who are, in every way, a better version of ourselves, is both humbling and empowering. It cements the knowledge that all that we have worked for during our fleeting time on this planet will be carried on by the next generation. That there will be a tomorrow for the Jewish people and it will be glorious.
On a deeply personal note, I want to thank the Almighty for expanding our family to include our new son and daughter. In my wildest dreams, I could not have pictured two more thoughtful and passionate individuals who would elevate our family to unimagined heights. I am thankful for my original incredible gang of six of the most precious children. As this Sunday is my 28th wedding anniversary, I am grateful to the Almighty for sending me the greatest partner I ever could have imagined. My wife Rachel is the reason that my children are all so amazing, and she is the cause of all that is good in my life. Nothing I have been able to achieve for Aish these past nine years would have been possible without her support and wise counsel. As Rabbi Akiva, one of the greatest scholars of the Talmud once said to his students about his wife Rachel: “What is mine and yours is hers.” Thank you for being a part of the Aish family and may the Almighty bless you with joy and inspiration in your personal life always.
