A Tug of Love
When I was in my thirties, I trimmed my beard a bit, for it seemed too long to me. When Father took note of this, it did not find favor in his eyes, to put it mildly. He tugged at my noticeably shorter beard in a gesture of disapproval.
At the time, I felt angry at my father. Who asked him to interfere in my personal matters? Was I not old enough to take care of myself?
But then I quickly banished those thoughts. I realized that Father was fearful for my spiritual level. His continued education stabilized me throughout the years, keeping me on a good footing. If not for his constant supervision over my actions, and his well-placed words of rebuke, who knows where I would be today? Certainly not on the level of spirituality which I merited reaching, thanks to my pure Torah education.
