Vayeira: Nurturing the Yearning: The Spiritual Potential of Today’s Children
Liluei Nishmas Ita bas Chanoch Aharon Bistritzky
This week, we reflect on a story about the Rebbe Rashab, shared in connection with this week’s Torah portion. When he was a child, around four or five years old, the Rebbe Rashab went to his grandfather, the Tzemach Tzedek, for a birthday blessing. He began crying and explained that he had learned how God revealed Himself to Avraham but not to him. His grandfather replied, “When a Jew, even at 99 years old, chooses to circumcise himself and take on new commitments, he becomes worthy of such a revelation.”
The Rebbe often revisited this story, focusing on why it specifically mentions the Rebbe Rashab’s age. A child under six, according to Torah and Kabbalistic teachings, isn’t yet considered capable of serious study or spiritual maturity. Highlighting that the Rebbe Rashab was just four or five underscores that his yearning for God wasn’t tied to advanced understanding but was innate. This makes the story universal, showing that even very young children can feel a deep spiritual connection.
The Rebbe challenged traditional views on children’s education. Historically, as the Rambam taught, children were motivated by rewards like treats and praise, only learning to appreciate truth and virtue as they matured. But the Rebbe proposed that today’s children are different—they can be nurtured to yearn for truth and God from a very young age. Their spiritual sensitivity and desire for authenticity go far beyond what was assumed in the past.
This perspective reframes how we see children. Behaviors often dismissed as rebellion, dissatisfaction, or anxiety might actually reflect a deep rejection of superficiality. When children push back against shallow expressions of faith, it may be because they sense there is more—an unfulfilled yearning for genuine connection. The Rebbe urged parents and educators to nurture this sensitivity rather than stifling it, seeing it as a strength rather than a flaw.
The Rebbe’s vision offers a hopeful way to view children’s challenges. Instead of labeling them as spoiled or weak, we can see them as spiritually attuned and ready for more. Their restlessness and dissatisfaction might come from sensing the potential for greater truth and deeper connection. If we guide them with this understanding, we can raise a generation that seeks authenticity, embraces spiritual depth, and carries the mission of revealing God’s presence in the world.
Adapted from “Life Talks on the Parsha”