Another Letter I Am Saving For My Daughter
Below is a letter that I wrote to my daughter in May 2004. I plan to give it to her one day when she is old enough to understand.
My little one:
The Baal Shem Tov once said that everything that one sees and hears contains a lesson. Sometimes these lessons come to us in words we read in the daily newspaper.
Yesterday I read the words of David Hatuel, a father in Eretz Israel whose pregnant wife and four young daughters were murdered by Arab terrorists. At their funeral he cried out, "I beg forgiveness for not giving you enough time."
This father’s words enter our heart and remind us that our time in this world is only temporary. The lesson of these words is obvious. Never take for granted the preciousness of the time you have with your family. Nothing is more important.
Rabbi Chaim Vital wrote, "When a person faces his judgment in Olam Haba, he is not evaluated according to how much he helped other people. He may be a tremendous activist, may be constantly running from one affair to another, may be constantly involved in one project or another, but his worth is measured according to how he behaved with his spouse and children. The way a person acts with his family reflects who he really is."
Please know that I will always be there for you. You can always talk with me and I will listen. Nothing is more important to me.
May the Ribbono shel Olam always have nachas from you little one.
I love you with all of my heart and soul,
Daddy
11 Comments:
What a wonderful gift to your daughter.
A beautiful thought.
I wish I honestly was always available for my children - when I know that it is often not the case :-(
Shoshana: I hope it will be.
Chabakuk Elisha: I hear you.
Here are some of my other thoughts on fatherhood (from October 2004):
http://asimplejew.blogspot.com/2004/10/are-you-good-father.html
http://asimplejew.blogspot.com/2004/10/some-random-thoughts-on-my-family.html
Thanks for the additional links! I haden't seen them before. All of them are excellent,(as usual :-))
ASJ, do you keep these father-child letters in your home or in a safety deposit box in a bank? I vote for the latter....
Beautiful sentiments.
Pearl: I have them printed out and protected inside plastic protectors that I keep in a binder located in a cabinet on my bookshelf.
These letters you write to her are an inspiration for me to write a letter or two of my own. Such things will last forever - long after you or I are gone... she will cherish your letters forever. Wow!
FrumGirl: I really appreciate your kind words. I am glad that these inspired you to write letters of your own :)
ASJ: I guess blogging from home is totally cut for me now.
The good news is that David Hatuel is remarrying and rebuilding his life.
A beautiful letter and a beautiful concept. What inspired you to start writing these letters to your children? Inspired by you, I hope to do the same if I merit to have children, Iy"H....
MCAryeh: I wrote these letters in my pre-A Simple Jew days where I did not have an outlet for my thoughts that I now have with my blog. Thank you for your kind words.
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