Said to Myself

Popular Avuncular

Published by

ravhiorlow

on

This week we start to read the book of Numbers. There we read:

This is the line of Aaron and Moshe at the time that the Lord spoke with Moshe on Mount Sinai. ( Numbers 3:1)

On this Rashi comments:

But it mentions only the sons of Aaron! But they also are called the sons of Moshe because he taught them the Torah. This tells us that whoever teaches the Torah to the son of his fellow man Scripture regards it to him as though he had begotten him (Sanhedrin 19b). (Rashi on Numbers 3:1)

In what way is a teacher like a parent? On this the Gur Ayreh comments:

[The Torah] calls only the sons of Aaron the descendants of Moshe [because he taught them Torah] but not all of Israel, although Moshe taught them, because Hashem commanded him to teach them Torah, and if not for them Hashem would not have given him the Torah. However, Moshe taught the sons of Aaron more than the others, and that was from Moshe alone; in this he is considered as having procreated them.( Gur Aryeh on Numbers 3:1)

It seems at some level there is a mandate, but when you go above and beyond that mandate and give it more attention and energy it reached this threshold of being like parenting.

I think all of this is overlooking the bind between family in this way. In this context I take stock of my relationship with my aunt, nephews and nieces and my children’s connection with their uncles and aunts. Am I living up to the model of Moshe? He was truly avuncular. We should all aspire to live this value of family.

Leave a comment

Previous Post
Next Post

Recent posts

Quote of the week

But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then erase me out of the book you have written.

~ Exodus 32:32

Said to Myself

About

My name is Rabbi Avi Katz Orlow. I have always had a deep love for the Jewish people and making the world a better place. It was while building community in the Former Soviet Union for YUSSR that I realized the transformative power of being a rabbi. After spending time learning in Israel, I moved to New York to be a charter student in Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, the Open Orthodox Seminary. After graduating in 2004 until 2008 I served as the Rabbi and ran the program at St. Louis Hillel at Washington University. Now I have the great pleasure of thinking about how Judaism is seriously fun. In my mind I am up at camp every day in my work at the Foundation for Jewish Camp. My wife, Cantor Adina Frydman, and I are the proud parents of Yadid, Yishama, Emunah, and Libi.

Said to Myself

When my son Yadid was four years old he came home from daycare and reported to me that he got into trouble. He got put into timeout for throwing sand at another child. Yadid said,” Myself said to myself, I do not want to be in timeout. Myself said to my cry, I do not want to cry”. And with that we started a conversation about his conscious life. It seemed only fitting to continue that conversation with a blog with the same name.

אָמַרְתִּי אֲנִי בְּלִבִּי

My son spoke in the words of Ecclesiastes, “I said in my heart: ‘Come now, I will try you with mirth, and enjoy pleasure’; and, behold, this also was vanity.” (Kohelet 2:1) My mission is to model a life that is personally meaningful, universally relevant, and distinctly Jewish. I aspire to be frank and to speak of Torah in real life.

Topics

Follow Us

Blog at WordPress.com.