The Eternal Value of a Child: Why Every Soul Brings Blessing and Purpose

In order for us to invest properly in our children’s education, we must first understand the value of a child and a soul.

A rabbi once stayed at the hospital following the birth of his child. One of the security guards, who was used to seeing him nearly every year, asked what number child this was. The rabbi answered, “This is our eighth.” The guard was surprised and asked, “How do you manage with eight?” The rabbi replied, “To you they may be numbers, but to me, they are souls. They are eternity. There’s always joy in my house. One is shouting, another is breaking something, another is laughing, another is being mischievous… A child is forever.”

That same rabbi was once speaking with a young scholar who asked him how many children he had. When the rabbi replied that he had ten children at home, the young man said, “Much more than me.” The rabbi asked, “What do you mean by ‘much more’? How many do you have?” The young man answered, “Nine.”

These are people who truly understand that every child is an entire world — a spark of the Divine above!

A striking example of the infinite value of a soul is brought by Rabbi Shimshon Dovid Pincus in his book Nefesh Chaya, regarding Moshe Rabbeinu: When Moshe went out to witness the suffering of his brothers in Egypt and saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew man, he didn’t immediately kill the Egyptian, even though he had every reason and halachic permission to do so. First, the Torah tells us, “He looked this way and that and saw that there was no man” (Shemot 2:12). The Midrash explains this to mean: “He saw that no righteous person would descend from this Egyptian — not from him, nor from his descendants — until the end of all generations” (Shemot Rabbah 1:29).

Moshe examined all the future consequences of killing that Egyptian, and he scanned generations into the future to ensure that no tzaddik would ever descend from him. Only then did he strike the Egyptian and hide his body in the sand.

The only way one can make such a decision, is if they can see until the end of all generations. When a person faces a critical life decision, how can they possibly decide with certainty if they are unable to see the future?

When it comes to the topic of childbirth, every woman has her own circumstances. But this is not a topic for casual chatter or “garden talk.” Friends are not the ones who should be planning or advising on family matters. This is a deeply personal issue between the couple and God. Everyone should consult their own Torah authority in light of their unique life story.

A Child Brings With Them Blessing and Fortune

The Talmud teaches: “A male comes into the world with his bread in hand” (Niddah 31b). Every child brings with them the livelihood needed for their sustenance, and each child arrives with their own mazal (fortune).

There was once a father of twelve children who was in deep financial hardship. He came to his Rebbe and, as usual, spoke only about spiritual matters. He was embarrassed to ask for help with his livelihood, but the need forced him to speak. The Rebbe thought deeply and then said, “May it be God’s will that you have another son this year.”

Not long after, that child was born, but he was seriously ill. When local doctors failed to cure him, the parents traveled far to seek out a renowned medical expert. Unable to afford travel, they went on foot. Along the way, a wagon stopped beside them with a non-Jewish couple who asked where they were headed. Upon hearing their destination, they invited the family into their carriage, took them to the doctor, and even offered to bring them home afterward.

On the return trip, the man said, “After spending a few hours with you and watching you closely, I’ve come to like you. I see that you are responsible and trustworthy. I want you to manage my estate.” With that, he handed the man money to arrange everything and purchase what his family needed.

Overjoyed, the man returned to his Rebbe and told him the whole story. The Rebbe said, “When you asked for a blessing for sustenance, I saw that you and your children were born under a sign of poverty. So I blessed you with a child who would be born under the sign of wealth, and it was in his merit that you became prosperous.”

The moment we come to truly value a child, to recognize how much blessing, fortune, and goodness they bring into our lives, and to understand the eternal worth of a soul, everything changes. A child is forever; an investment in eternity. When we truly understand that, our entire approach to parenting will be on a completely different level.