There is a mass extinction happening in parts of the world. What
was once a common site has now become a rarity, even a peculiarity. Stroll the streets of Japan or Germany and
you may not see one. Try Monaco and you
will likely come up empty. At times
cute, at times perilous, and at times garrulous-it is the child.
They
are the unsung heroes of the Purim story (tomorrow would be Purim if there was only one Adar); they are the ones who turned the tide
towards the side of victory (and it is for this reason they have the most fun
on Purim to this very day). The midrash
relates the harrowing encounter the Jewish children had with Haman.[1] After Haman prepared the gallows that he
intended to use on Mordecai, he went to see his mortal enemy. And he encountered a startling sight.
Mordecai sat with 22,000 (not coincidentally, there are 22 Hebrew letters) children in fervent Torah study. Haman, in a fit of anger, took all the children
captive and declared that before he murdered Mordecai that he would murder the
children. The mothers of the children came and pleaded with their kids to at
least eat before they died, but the children refused. They cried in their
hunger and prayed for salvation. Those
cries pierced the decree against the Jews and the wheels of Divine providence
turned. That night, of all nights, G-d
caused Achashverosh to twist and turn in his sleep and to remember the immense
favor that Mordecai did and which he never recompensed. The next day it was
Haman who hung on the gallows.
Strange,
no? Imagine, Iran finally unveils the bomb
we all know they are building and it is on the launch pad being fueled, and
rather than meet with the generals to discuss strategy, Netanyahu finds a local
preschool and gives a lesson about Abraham.
What is the magic of children and why did they save us on Purim, and
even more so, why are they the symbol that is found in the Holiest place- as
Cherubim on the Holy Ark?
A child
is the quintessential physical and self-absorbed being. They wake up when they
want with no thought to the parents. They scream if hungry or tired. And if a
toy or candy is within sight it is quite likely they will fight for it. Yet,
despite all of that, each day they grow. It is possible to give them Torah and slowly lift them out of this dreary
state. That is the symbol we want at the center of our life- the elevation of a
child. If the Torah can even elevate a smarmy
child, imagine what it can do for all of us who we hope are a bit beyond that. The Zohar says that it is in this
merit, the proper education of children, that the world continues. This is a species we can’t afford to go
extinct.
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