Posted on 01/12/22
"Shalom Sivan, here's a picture of grandma Shulamit Toledano, together with her grandsons, Neriya and Uri Tzadok. Two months ago grandma Shula became a widow after her dear husband Zion passed away from the coronavirus. Last week she tested positive for the virus and the thought that she would have to isolate alone was deeply concerning. But then both Neriya and Uri tested positive as well. Immediately, without any hesitation, they declared that they would isolate together with grandma Shula.
And now they are together during the isolation period, alone and yet together. Cooking, playing, reading, talking, recalling pleasant memories, and on Shabbat they made kiddush and had a wonderful dinner together. Let no one disparage our youth for being apathetic, having become addicted to digital devices during the pandemic. Here are two kids who became addicted to grandma.
At the climax of this week's Torah portion, after the splitting of the Red Sea, the children of Israel sing 'Song of the Sea.' The following words comprise one of the verses of the song: 'This is my God and I will glorify Him; the God of my father, and I will exalt Him.'
Our commentators explain that this verse perfectly expresses an appropriate relationship with God. On the one hand, 'This is my God and I will glorify Him'; each individual must cultivate a personal faith, not merely copy and paste, robotically, some ready-made version of faith. On the other hand, 'This is the God of my father, and I will exalt Him'; it is important to base our faith on that of our fathers, of previous generations, to learn from their experience and to continue along their path.
It is not difficult to understand why, this week, we became so attached to this verse."