Only One Request
It was my honor and privilege to participate in the siyum of a bachur in the yeshiva Torat Chaim in Ashdod. During the celebration, the boy’s mother approached me and asked for a blessing for her son. These were her words, “I have one request from Hashem – that my son should grow in Torah and yirat Shamayim.”
- A speech at Yeshivat Torat David, Ashdod
I was astounded at her words. She did not ask for anything personal, such as health or a livelihood. And even for her son, she did not request wealth, a prominent career, or any other material blessing. All that she wanted was that he should grow in Torah. I blessed them warmly and then added:
“When a Jewish mother’s sole aspiration is that her son will grow in Torah and yirat Shamayim, and she educates him this way, she is guaranteed that he will grow to become a true talmid chacham.”
