Leah Gitl Shukhman
Dear readers!
Now I'd like to share a little slice of life with you. No adventures or breathtaking attractions.
Just the life of a Jewish woman…
- 04. 2018
I got up in the morning with a headache and in a bad mood. Too bad it wasn't the other way around. Everything as usual—waking the children, making sandwiches… Suddenly my son asks a question about the Mishnah he was reviewing before class (there's a test today). I try to answer, and we look up Rashi and other commentators together (or rather, he looks them up and reads aloud, while I try to understand…)—and suddenly I discover that this is about the mysteries of Creation! About how the world is put together!
That these words he repeats like a little parrot (four times in a row at home—a mandatory requirement before the test) are words written thousands of years ago by the greatest tannaim! This is the Torah Moses received at Sinai!
These words, which thousands upon thousands of Jews have studied over thousands of years—in magnificent synagogues and musty cellars, proudly and joyfully among hundreds of fellow students—and alone, afraid of being discovered… These words, which brought joy to talmidei chachamim and comfort to ordinary Jews. Words that helped people hold on in the hardest and most terrifying situations. Words that bring such joy to the Creator. My children are learning these words!
It sent a shiver through me. How much energy and time—sometimes an entire lifetime—people invest in being remembered for a few generations after them!
They make brilliant discoveries, write brilliant poetry and music, and paint pictures that later sell for millions of dollars… But honestly—who remembers now who Edison or Leonardo da Vinci was? Well, of course we remember—we're educated people. But if we're completely honest—what role do they play in our lives now? Do we think, “Thank you, dear Edison,” when we turn on the computer?