Sometimes we want to spare our children the pain and fear that comes by exposing them to our past. We think that teaching them about the horrors of the Holocaust or teaching them about the “Churban” (destruction of the Temples) can overwhelm them, so why teach them about something that happened thousands of years ago?
But there are things we must teach our children, in Parashah Masei we recount the 42 Journeys in the desert, on Pesach we relieve the JEWISH Exodus, on the 9th of Av we remember the destruction of the Temples, on Chanukah we remember and celebrate the huge miracle of how a few saved the Jewish nation and so on. Jewish tradition is about never forgetting who we are, where we come from, but most importantly where we are going.
We find this powerful parenting lesson in the first verse of “Masei”: “Eileh Masei Vnei Yisrael ” if you want your children to be “banim”,children of Am Yisrael”, tell them “Eileh Masei” (these are the travels). Don’t spare them the pain. Don’t try to raise them in a world disconnected from our rich heritage full of compassion and mercy. When they learn about how their ancestors dealt with life they will learn too how to overcome obstacles with Emunah and Bitachon (Faith and Trust in H”S). With prayer, tzedaka, and Torah they will be resilient people who will usher in our destiny with the much awaited redemption.
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