Mazel tov to Rabbi Heschel and Doba on the birth of their daughter, Sarah Nechama.
In this week’s Torah portion, we read of Pharaoh’s brutal decree against the Jewish people: every baby boy was to be thrown into the Nile. And then the Torah adds: “and every baby girl shall be kept alive.”
This extra line seems unnecessary. Wouldn’t it have been enough to say that the boys were to be killed? The Torah never wastes words. By adding this second half, the Torah is teaching us something profound about children, education, and Jewish continuity.
The Haggadah, when explaining the phrase “our toil,” identifies it as referring to our children, and it proves this from this very verse: “Every boy shall be cast into the Nile, and every girl shall be kept alive.”
What does it mean that the girls should be “kept alive”? Pharaoh’s plan was not kindness. He encouraged the Egyptians to allow Jewish girls to live, but to absorb Egyptian values, culture, and identity. The goal was assimilation: to raise Jewish children who would forget that they were Jewish at all.
This decree did not end in Egypt. It exists in every generation.
Today, the pressure may not come from Pharaoh, but the message is familiar: prioritize your “Americanism,” your comfort, your success, before your Judaism. Blend in. Don’t stand out. Keep Judaism private or secondary.
How do we push back?
First, we must show, through our actions, that Judaism is our toil, our labor of love, our priority. When children see that our connection to Hashem matters, that Jewish life is something we invest time, energy, and joy into, they absorb that message deeply.
Second, we must remember that “children” are not defined only by age. There are also spiritual children; friends, neighbors, and peers, who may not have had the opportunity to truly connect with their Jewish heritage. Just as Pharaoh ultimately failed, and Jewish girls remained deeply connected to their identity, so too we can help others rediscover theirs. Sometimes all it takes is an invitation.
Do you prioritize your Judaism? Is there a friend you can bring along on that journey?
I happen to know a place hosting some great Jewish programs .
I recommend joining Chabad for The World Is a Garden media production on January 28 at 7:30 PM, featuring a live string quartet taking place at Chabad .
Check it out and other upcoming events at www.harfordchabad.org/events.
Let’s keep our children, and ourselves, truly alive.
Have a Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Kushi Schusterman
P.S. This thought reminded me of a story about Prime Minister Golda Meir and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. During an impasse in Middle East negotiations, Dr. Kissinger said, ''Golda, you must remember that first I am an American, second I am Secretary of State and third I am a Jew.'' Golda Meir responded, ''Henry, you forget that in Israel we read from right to left.''