“Birth is about radical, creative, life-affirming change. It is about adaptation on a nearly unbelievable scale…We go from dark to light, from warm to cold, from wet to dry, and begin to breathe through our lungs… In a few short minutes, our initial frantic cries are soothed by our [parent]’s touch and familiar voice, our colour shifts, we open our eyes and look at the world.” - Pediatrician Mark Sloan, Birth Day
We enter a season that is all about the birth and renewal. New channels are being opened which allow the world to be born anew. Rosh Hashana, in kabbalistic terms, is all about the building of Malchut (“Kingship”/ sovereignty”) - a feminine quality, the source of all life.
Sarah and Chana are childless women whose prayers were answered on Rosh Hashana. These women remind us about the power of our own prayers to eliminate any impediments which close or block the channels of birth and new beginnings. They inspire us to think about our commitment to our children and to our future.
So this Rosh Hashana, life-changing as it is, give birth. No commitment comes easy, but new beginnings are powerful. Decide on even one meaningful move that you will do to bring G-dliness into your home and life:
• For you: Learn! Subscribe to a Jewish weekly newsletter like the one atthejewishwoman.com. Connect with friends whom you can ask even the simplest questions about your heritage. Read about the extraordinary women of valour and strength who teach us about true femininity, leadership and strength.
• For your marriage: Recognize Hashem as an essential partner in your marriage. Decide to call a friend or Rebbetzin to learn about the beauty of mikvah. Make time to talk, to laugh, to learn. Make a conscious decision to seek out the good in the other.
• For your kids: Say Modeh Ani with the children. Say the shema with them before they go to sleep. Take them to Shul. Include them in chesed. Tell them a bedtime story about their forefathers and foremothers, inspiring them to find role-models not just in the latest movie-stars, but in their own super-hero ancestors