12 May PASSING THE TORCH

I heard a beautiful Midrash that tells of two
neshamos facing the Heavenly Court after
120. As the first neshama stood before the
court, a voice called out, “You receive
reward for three children”. “But, I had six”
the soul exclaimed. “You may have had six,
but one you ignored, another you were
short-tempered with, and a third, you didn’t
even care about. You are credited with
three.”
Then, the second neshama appeared before
the court. “You receive reward for 250
lives.” “250? But I didn’t have any
children!” “Yes, but you taught so many.
You gave them Torah. You gave them life.
You showed them kindness and
understanding. You put smiles on their
faces. You even covered tuition for those
who couldn’t afford. You are credited for
250.”
In this week’s parsha, Bamidbar, we are
told of the genealogy of Moshe and Aaron.
“Eileh toldos Aaron u’Moshe…, These are
the offspring of Aaron and Moshe.”
(Bamidbar 3:1) The pasuk leads us to think

that the names of both Moshe’s and Aaron’s
children will follow. However, only Aaron’s
progeny are mentioned in the following
verse. “And these are the names of Aaron’s
sons, Nadav, the first born, Avihu, Elazar,
and Issamar.”
What about Moshe’s sons? Rashi explains
that since Moshe taught Aaron’s children
Torah, he is considered to be their spiritual
father. While Moshe was, of course, a
devoted father to his own children, he was
much more than an uncle to the sons of
Aaron. He was their Torah teacher, their
educator, their mentor, their guide. The
Torah wants to emphasize a Talmudic
saying quoted by Rashi, that “Whoever
teaches his fellow’s child Torah, is
considered as if he gave birth to him.”
(Sanhedrin 19b). Like the neshama that
received reward for reaching out to 250
students, becoming their spiritual father,
Moshe Rabbeinu was a spiritual father to
Aaron’s sons, among so many others. After
all, he is Rabbeinu, our teacher.
My mother, Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis a”h,
was a spiritual ema to many. Besides
teaching and inspiring thousands through
her Torah classes, she would share words of

Torah wisdom wherever she was.
From being at home with the
family, to her world-wide travels.
From doctors’ offices to meetings
with presidents and prime
ministers. From shiva houses to
wedding halls, words of Torah
were always on her lips. I recall
how every Friday, the phone
would ring with Good Shabbos
wishes from appreciative students
– many, who by then had become
parents and even grandparents,
but who never forgot their “Torah
Ema” as they would lovingly say.
Each of us can be a Torah Ema, or a Torah
Abba. All one needs is a warm, giving heart
and some Torah knowledge.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught that it is
crucial to share divrei Torah, words of
Torah learning and insight. He said, if one
knows Aleph-Bais, teach Aleph-Bais. If one
knows only Aleph, teach only Aleph, one
letter. Even if one knows just a little, share
it. Pass it on, and by doing so, the flame of
Torah will illuminate the world.
How fortunate we are to live in a world
where sources of Torah knowledge, on
every level of understanding, on limitless
subjects, and in so many languages, are
easily accessible. We can choose from a
multitude of Torah classes, be it in person
or online. There is a plethora of Torah
literature and inspiring Torah podcasts
out there. We simply have to avail
ourselves of them. Find something that
speaks to you, and then share the
knowledge, even if it is only an “aleph”, a
few words of learning. Share it with
family and friends. Share it with your
walking partner and your business
partner. Make Torah the subject of your
conversation, and in the process, you will
not only inspire others, but become
further inspired yourself.
To illustrate the importance of sharing
one’s knowledge, Rabbi Shneur Zalman
of Liadi, known as the Alter Rebbe (1745-
1812) would relate a parable. Imagine
that the world was suffering from a
terrible famine. There was one man who
had giant storehouses filled with grain.
G-d forbid that he should withhold the
grains from starving people. So it is, with
words of Torah. We are living in times
when we are experiencing a hunger in the
land. People are starving for words of
Torah. How could we not share? It’s up to
us to do the right thing. To illuminate the
spiritual famine. To share Torah
knowledge. As the navi Amos describes,
“Days are coming, said HaShem, when I

will send a famine in the land. Not a famine
for bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine
to hear the words of HaShem.” (Amos 8:11)
As the Yom Tov of Shavuos is approaching,
the message of sharing Torah takes on extra
and timely meaning. As we renew our
commitment to Torah and mitzvos on
Shavuos, let’s share a dvar Torah with
friends, family, neighbors. It’s our time to
follow in the footsteps of Avraham,
Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Shmuel, and my
beloved mother. It’s our time to say
“Hineni—Here I Am”. To give of our hearts
and minds to others.
This past week, my daughter, who is a
teacher, was gifted a beautiful bouquet of
tulips by a grateful parent. Upon arriving
home, she placed it on her dining room
table. She didn’t think anything further of it
until the next morning. When she came
downstairs, she saw the tulips forlornly
drooping. She didn’t realize that the flowers
were without water, as they were given to
her in a black vase. She quickly filled the
vase with water and hoped for the best. To
her pleasant surprise, when she came home
from work, the tulips had a new life. They
were standing upright. All it took was
“mayim chayim – waters of life.” Our Torah
is called Mayim Chaim. For just as water
refreshes and revives, so too, does Torah
refresh and revive the soul. Just as water
quenches thirst, Torah quenches a thirsty
soul. Just as water is a source of life, Torah
is the soul’s source of life.
By studying and sharing words of Torah,
we not only enrich our lives, but the lives of
those around us as well. In that merit, may
we be rewarded, as we read in this week’s
sixth and concluding chapter in Pirkei Avos,
”Gedolah Torah, sheh’hee nosenes chaim
l’oseh-ha b’olam hazeh, u’b’olam habah.
Great is Torah, for it gives life to its
followers both in this world and the World
to Come.”
All it takes is one spark, one word, one
aleph — to pass the torch.