Calling All Parents!

The great rabbinic sage Joseph Caro wrote in his epic legal work, the Shulchan Aruch:

One who truly seeks to honor his parents should involve himself in Torah study, mitzvot and interpersonal kindness. This is the greatest form of honor since by doing so one causes others to say, “Happy are the father and mother who raised such a child.”

One of our greatest responsibilities for us as a Temple is the challenge we face of providing a proper Jewish education for our children. While we do have a wonderful and thriving Religious School, it seems to me that we only have your children in our grasp for a handful of hours a week. With such limited access to your children, it makes our job quite difficult. In actuality, a comprehensive Jewish education is something that all Jews strive for their entire lives.

I think then because Torah encompasses all that we do, the only people who can truly mold the actions and values of a child are the parents. As parents, you have practically unlimited access to your children. From the earliest years, you can influence whether or not prayer is important to your child. You teach them how to treat other people, how to stick up for what they believe in, how to live proud Jewish lives, how to properly celebrate Jewish holidays, how to make time for Shabbat in their lives, and how to strive to live a life full of mitzvot.

Now you might be thinking, if I do not know that much about Judaism myself, how can I pass on knowledge that I do not have? Or maybe you have the knowledge, but are not quite sure how to convey it to your child. Or maybe you have the knowledge, but you do not think your child is interested in hearing about it. So many of our parents are concerned that their children will grow up, and Judaism will not be important to them. And they should be – that is perhaps the greatest problem facing Judaism today.

If you are one of these parents, then you are an ideal candidate for a new class I am offering at the Temple entitled, “The Parents Guide to Keeping Your Kids Jewish: Fostering Proud Jewish Identities in Our Homes.” If you are interested in learning how you can make Judaism come alive in your home, if you want to help ensure that your child will grow up proud of his/her Judaism, please come join me in this endeavor. Our Religious School is a remarkable place, and we do all that we can. But in order to guarantee that your child receives the best Jewish education possible, we need you to complement every day in your home what we do twice a week at Temple.

Classes will run Sunday mornings concurrently with Sunday Religious School. Please contact me at the Temple at 704-366-1948 or jbarras@bethel. com for more details or to sign up.


L’Shalom,
Jeremy Barras