Rabbi Sam Trief
I can’t stop listening to Cat Stevens’ Father and Son this week.
Such a classic song – and I think it speaks to so many of us because it captures the tension between holding on and letting go.
The father wants to protect. The son wants to grow. Neither is wrong. Both are experiencing the ache that comes with change.
Tomorrow, Rafi leaves for camp for ten days.
Ten days is not forever. He’ll be back before I know it. In fact, I sometimes leave my family for multi-day trips to Israel and beyond. But these moments are never really about the number of days; it’s about the milestones and little reminders that our children are constantly becoming who they are meant to be.
Judaism understands this better than almost any tradition, with multiple opportunities to mark the passing of time. A brit milah. A baby naming. A bar or bat mitzvah. Confirmation. Marriage. Each ritual acknowledges the same truth: growth requires movement.
This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Shelach, tells the story of the scouts sent into the Promised Land. Standing at the edge of a new chapter, they are faced with a choice: remain in the safety of what they know or step into an uncertain future. Growth has always required courage. The next stage of life always asks us to leave something behind in order to discover what lies ahead.
Perhaps that’s why we gather every Shabbat. For one day each week, we pause long enough to notice how quickly life is moving. We bless our children. We shared a meal. We hold close to the people we love, knowing that one day they will go where we cannot follow.
May this Shabbat help us cherish the moments we have and find the courage to embrace each new chapter with open hearts.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Sam Trief
