Parenting Patriotism

From The Holy Family: Bringing Up Children (#E-171) by Rabbi Avigdor Miller 

Hashem loves His people, right here and the rest of the Jewish nation, more than anything in the universe. It’s a powerful attachment to them. “Banim atem l’Hashem Elokeichem — You are sons, you are children to Hashem.” You and only you. When the nations say, “Hashem is our Father,” they are usurping a relationship that doesn’t belong to them. Hashem is their Creator, it’s true, but He’s not their Father. Absolutely unjustified! Banim atem, you are His children. “Ki amar Hashem, bini bechori Yisrael — For Hashem said, Yisrael is My chosen, is My best son.” He’s our Father, and we’re His sons, we’re His children. 

That is one of the yesodos of the Torah and that has to be made most prominent in the Jewish home. You should know that the Am Yisrael is beloved by Hashem, and the more you love the Am Yisrael the more Hashem loves you. 

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The more you love the Am Yisrael, the more Hashem loves you

The first thing we know about Moshe Rabbeinu is he was chosen because, “vayaitezi el echav — he went out to his brothers.” Oh, Hashem said, that’s My man! We have to spend time on that, thinking of loving the Am Yisrael. You love them! You love all the people in Boro Park, all the people in Williamsburg, all the people in Meah Shearim; wherever there are frum Jews, you love them. And as much as you love them is never excessive, because it will never even faintly resemble the tremendous love that Hashem has for them. 

Now that’s necessary to talk about. In the Jewish home, the atmosphere must be saturated with patriotism, yes, with love of our people. Of course, “our people” means the Torah people. We love the tzaddikim, we love the frum men, the frum women, the frum boys and the frum girls. We love all the doros (generations) that went before us, the shomrei mitzvos (mitzvah observant), we love them. And all those who are alive today, we love them.
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Hashem is waiting to see if we’re going to perform that great obligation, to love His people. Therefore, in the house that you’re building, one of the essential elements is to introduce a powerful feeling of love for your nation.

​Climb the Ladder: Select Jew that you don’t have such a close relationship with and secretly say a tefillah (prayer) for his or her well-being and success.