Needs First...

B"H, 

Wants May Follow...

For better or for worse my teenage son, my young man, knows how to cook.  Not just cooking, but the "ganze megillah"*.  This includes planning the meal (for example, what's the protein, what's the soluble fiber, leafy greens cooked and/or raw, and a carbohydrate with low glycemic index); building the grocery list; doing the shopping; putting away the groceries; preparing the ingredients; and then cooking each dish.  

He sets the table and serves the meal.  At the end of the eating he puts away the leftovers, clears and cleans the table, clears and cleans the kitchen, and then moves on to something called "Command and Conquer Red Alert 3".  

When I've landed in the hospital my son's skills have kept the family functioning.  The day he became a bar mitzvah was a pivot point in his life and ours.  He approached the moment as a boy from a very blessed and somewhat care-free childhood and left that moment to history as a beginning young man in a very blessed and astonishingly care-filled adulthood.  

I was telling my father, aka Zayde, about Isaac's most recent exploits in the care and feeding of our family.  My ninety year old Dad was thoroughly impressed.  "I am so proud of my guy, 'bli ayin harah'*.  Most men know nothing of womens' work.  These skills will make him very independent.  I am so proud of him," said my father.  

Me, too... now, please forgive my father for calling food preparation in the home the work of women.  That is his experience.  He really is ninety years old.  First his mother cared for him, then the Air Corps fed him, and then his beloved wife took over this task and is still doing it after more than sixty years of marriage.  The point to be made here is that my son has life skills.  Before he walks out the front door for the special stuff he has proven himself sound in the basics.  He could run a household and he has for short periods of time.  In a world where so many lack the skills and disciplines of self care as well as care of others, here is a fellow, who, please G_d, is ready to meet the world. 

May he heal his portion and more.

May he elevate the souls in his midst as well as his own soul.

May the world be a better place thanks to his work, the work of people who inherit the heart of life. 

(We are anticipating Shavuos, the receiving of the Ten Commandments.  We look forward to experiencing the gift of our Torah at Mt. Sinai.)

GLOSSARY:

ganze megillah - the entire scroll, the whole story

bli ayin harah - without invoking the evil eye