After spending nearly an hour just typing up a vort only to be told my session had expired, i must now write quicker and more to the point in the hope it doesn’t happen again! Boruch Hashem i was blessed with a beautiful little girl a few weeks ago. Boruch Hashem mother and baby were prefectly healthy.
Despite having the baby on a wednesday evening and even though everything was compltely fine Thank G-d, we were only released from the hospital at 5Pm on erev Shabbos.
After enduring Manchester’s rush hour traffic leaving the city centre on a friday afternoon we eventually arrived at my Parents in law at 5:45 when Shabbos commenced at about 6:15. Thank G-d my parents in law were able to have us so that my wife and i could quickly prepare for shabbos before the time. In all the rushing i forgot about the baby and forgot the amazing miracle Hashem had granted to us. As soon as i was ready i gave my little girl a kiss and said good shabbos and left for shul (only a few minutes late) then i realised that coming up would be a chance to spend a few quality seconds with my daughter, little did i know that it would be the most emotional few seconds of my life…
After coming back from shul to my In laws, we sang Sholom Aleichem and welcomed in Shabbos and then Praised our wives and mothers and sisters by singing Eishes Chayil.
Then it came, all of a sudden i had the power to give my daughter the most amazing piece of advice in the form of a brocha. when we say “Y’simech Elokim…” – “may Hashem Make you…” like Sarah, Rivka, Rachel and Leah we are not only asknig that Hashem enable our daughters to be giving, good natured, inspirational, sensitive leaders who will realise that the ultimate fulfilment is to realise your potential. But we also ask that Hashem helps them to ignore the ‘bad environment’ that unfortunately our children will grow up in.
Unfortunately in todays generation our lives are full of avodah Zorah, with TV, internet, maybe worse, drugs and Alcohol.
Some kids are led down a path of spiritual stagnation or maybe worse they are going off the derech completely. Lo Aleinu. However we can help them. Firstly it is up to us to ensure that these things don’t enter our homes. The same way Avraham Avinu didn’t allow the arabs into his tent before washing their feet.
He did this because the Arabs worshipped the sand, and therefore he did not want the Avodah Zorah of that generation to enter his home. The same way we must try to not let today’s Avodah Zorah from entering our homes. But we need Hashem’s help it is a near impossible task.
This is why every friday night we give our daughters a blessing that they grow to be like the matriarchs who came from homes of Wicked idol worshpping people such as Lavan. We bless them that they block out the avodah zorah of our generation and that using their pure Neshoma they can grow to be like the Mothers of our Nation and be giving, good natured, inspirational, sensitive leaders who will realise that the ultimate fulfilment is to realise your potential, instead of being affected by the avodah zorah of our generation and being led down the wrong path Chas V’shalom.
May we be Zocher to have many children and in turn be able to bless them to grow to be like our Imahos and Avos, who literally walked in Hashem’s ways. They blotted out the Avodah Zorah going on around them and grew up to be righteous individuals whose names we now use to give our children someone to emulate.
May Our children be blessed to be able to emulate our Forefathers and mothers.
