Ten Children Are Much More Than Nine

To invest in children's education, we must appreciate the value of a child, the worth of a soul.

A rabbi, staying at the hospital after his child was born, was asked by a security guard—who saw him nearly every year—about the birth number. The rabbi answered it was the eighth. The guard was astonished and asked, "How do you manage with eight pieces?" The rabbi replied, "To you, they are pieces, but to me, they are souls, eternal souls. There is always joy at my home—one shouting, another breaking, one laughing, another being mischievous... A child is eternal."

The same rabbi once spoke with a yeshiva student. During their conversation, the student asked the rabbi how many children he had. When the rabbi said he had ten, the student remarked, "That's much more than me." To the rabbi's question, "What do you mean by much more than me, how many do you have at home?" The student replied that he had nine children.

These are answers for those who understand that each child is a world unto themselves and a piece of the divine!

An enlightening example of how significant a soul's worth can be is given by Rabbi Pinchas in his book "Living Soul" about Moshe Rabbeinu:

"When he went out to see the suffering of his brothers and saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew, he did not hurry to kill him but checked the matter thoroughly. Essentially, he had every reason to kill him. According to Halacha, he had the right to do so, and he had the capability to carry out this Halacha. Yet, Moshe did not rush to kill him—first, 'he turned this way and that way and saw that there was no person'—'he saw there was no future of righteous people coming from him, not from his offspring throughout all generations' (Shemot Rabbah 1, 29).

Have you ever seen a car driver wanting to advance, looking right and left to ensure no car is coming toward him because otherwise his life would be in danger? In this exact direction, Moshe Rabbeinu acted, but he examined further than right and left: first, he examined all the implications that would come from killing the Egyptian, then he continued to examine for many generations forward and ensured no righteous person would emerge from him, and only then—'he struck the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.'

Only this way one can decide on such matters, only if they see until the end of all generations.

When someone wants to make a fateful decision, if they can look to the end of all generations—it is good, but if not—where can they gather the strength to decide?!

Regarding childbirth, each woman and her reasons. However, this issue is not meant for 'garden conversations,' and friends should not be the advisors and planners of family life. This is a matter between the couple and the Creator, and everyone should consult their Torah authority with their life story.

A child brings with them fortune and blessing

A boy comes into the world with a loaf in his hand (Niddah 31b), every child brings the blessing in sustenance to meet their needs. Each baby brings their own fortune. As a prominent rabbi said, it's like a person dipping their hand into a cup of milk, as they lift their hand, a drop of milk drips from each finger; so too, each child brings fortune, blessing, and sustenance. Every child brings streams of great abundance and fills the home with goodness..

A father of twelve children, in dire financial straits, came to his rabbi and, as usual, spoke with him about spiritual matters. He was ashamed to ask the rabbi about financial matters but, having no choice, overcame his embarrassment and told about his financial hardships. The rabbi pondered deeply and after long minutes, said, "May it be Hashem's will that you have a son this year."

Soon afterward, that chassid had a sick child. After local doctors could not cure him, his parents traveled far to a great and renowned doctor. Since they could not afford the journey, they went on foot. Suddenly, a carriage with a Christian couple stopped by them. The couple asked the child's parents where they were headed, and they replied to a certain doctor. The man invited them into his carriage and took them to the doctor, also offering to return them home. On their way back, the man said, "After spending several hours with you and observing you, I found you to be a responsible and trustworthy person. I want you to manage my estate." Saying this, he handed him money to organize everything and buy his household's needs.

Happy and delighted, the chassid ran to his rabbi and told him all that happened. The rabbi said, "When you asked me for a blessing for sustenance, I saw that you and your children were born under the fortune of poverty, so I blessed you with another child whose fortune is wealth, and through him, you became wealthy."

How moving it is to see that each child brings new fortune and blessings to the home and family!

I expanded further in the chapter on trust in divine provision, on how Hashem cares for everyone's provision, especially that of each child. Therefore, we should not worry about where we will get what we need to provide for all our children, even though we need to strive for livelihood.

Once we appreciate our children and recognize how much they bring us good fortune and blessings, and how great their worth is, that a child is an eternal investment for generations, education will be on an entirely different level.

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