Your First Duty

From Building the Nation and Building One's Self (#E-051) by Rabbi Avigdor Miller

Chizkiya Hamelech — everybody knows that he was raui (worthy) to be Mashiach. Had the generation been worthy he would have fulfilled the role of Mashiach. Chizkiya spread the Torah from the north of Eretz Yisrael to the south. He handed out fuel oil for all the lamps in the batei midrashim everywhere. At night everywhere the lamps were burning for people to come and learn Torah.

"Badku m’Dan v’ad Beer Sheva," they sent commissions to examine the people from Dan to Beer Sheva, "v’lo matzo ish v’isha tinok v’tinokes shelo haya bekiim b’hilchos tumah v’tahara," and they couldn’t find anybody who didn’t know the [complicated laws of purity and impurity]. Like today you know laws of milchigs and fleishigs, at that time everybody knew the complicated laws of purity, a tremendous achievement!
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He made a nation of lamdanim (scholars). At that time he became ill. All of a sudden in the middle of his fruitful labors he became ill. As he lay on his bed he saw how serious it was. He was thinking what’s going to happen to my great work? The navi (prophet) Yeshaya at that time came to visit him, and Yeshaya said I have a message for you.

Chizkiya sat up and he thought I’ll get some good news. So the navi said "Meis atah -- You’re going to die." And not only that, "v’lo sichye," you won’t live in Olam Haba (the World to Come) either. Chizkiya was stunned. Why? And the navi said because you didn’t get married.

Chizkiya was too busy to get married. He was organizing, traveling back and forth to see that the people are maintaining their shiurim and all the other high principles that he set for them... He didn’t intend not to get married. He was putting it off. So the navi said for putting it off then your time is up. At that time Chizkiya learned a tremendous lesson. It was a blow between the eyes. But he learned that lesson.

So the prophet said "Meis atah -- You’re going to die."

Hakadosh Baruch Hu is eager for additional Bnei Yisrael. And don’t say that many people besides me are raising families and I can devote all my life only to ruchnius. No, Hakadosh Baruch Hu says if that’s the case,  I don’t need you in this world and you won’t have any place in the next world.

We understand that Chizkiya made up his mind if Hakadosh Baruch Hu will forgive me and let me live I won’t postpone any more. He did teshuva. Which means that the first duty of a person is to raise up children.

The gemara says in masechta Gittin "V’halo lo nivra haolam elah l’pirya v’rivya." A tremendous statement: the world was created for having children. It doesn’t mean that’s all you have to do. If you’re a man there are plenty of other things to do. But you must have children. And nothing will help, all of your maasim tovim (good deeds), your spreading of Torah everywhere will not compensate for the lack of this very important function that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is waiting for you to fulfill.