The True Loving Father
A young teenager with divorced parents shares his loneliness in a letter to Rabbi Lazer Brody. ” My father used to send me a plane ticket to visit him during summer...
It’s not often that I get such a poignant letter as I’m about to share with you. “Jeremy” left me no choice – this letter begged to be published:
Dear Rabbi Lazer,
Remember me? I'm the boy that was bar-mitzva'd last year the same week that you were guest speaker in our shul. I still have the Hebrew book you autographed for me, and even though I don't understand all of it, it’s very special to me. I wish I had a dad like you. I don't know if you remember, but my mom and dad are divorced. Dad stopped going to shul when he left Mom. That was when I was eight, 6 years ago because I'm 14 now. I'm writing you because I'm sad. I don't think anybody cares about me. My father used to send me a plane ticket to visit him in California during summer vacation, but this year he didn't. He told me he can't afford it. It's a lie, and I know. He smokes at least two packs of cigarettes a day. If he loved me more than the cigarettes, he could've sent me a ticket for less than two months of his smoking money. What kind of father loves cigarettes more than his son? I overheard mom saying on the phone that he's got a new girlfriend. Girlfriends cost money too.
I want to go to a religious kibbutz in Israel, but mom says I'm too young. I'm lonely most of the time, because a lot of the other kids smoke grass and do stuff that you're not supposed to do, and I don't like that. They make fun of me behind my back, but they're afraid to mess with me because I take karate lessons, and I'm pretty good. I want to grow up to be a commando in Israel and then a rabbi just like you.
I know you're busy but if you answer this letter and publish it then its proof that you care about me. Can you make me feel better? I'd love to say that Rabbi Lazer Brody is my best friend, so can I? I really look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely yours,
Jeremy from Washington, DC suburbs
* * *
Dear Jeremy,
Of course I remember you. You are one of the finest young men I've ever met. Not many people your age have your sense of right and wrong and your strength of character. Your grammar and composition are also excellent for a person of your age.
I know that life isn't easy for you. Don't harbor any ill-feeling against your dad; nobody has any idea what he's going through, but I guarantee you that he's pretty miserable. Hashem simply doesn't want you to go to California, probably because what you'd see and hear is not good for your neshoma (soul). Trust me, even if it hurts, everything Hashem does is for the best. When a doctor performs an operation on a patient, he has to cut the patient's flesh with a knife, causing the patient to bleed. But, the doctor is acting out of kindness, not out of cruelty. Hashem, everybody's doctor, is doing the same thing for you.
Our holy rebbe the Baal Shem Tov became an orphan at five years old. It seems pretty cruel, doesn’t it? But, with no parents to turn to, the Baal Shem Tov put all his trust in Hashem. He would spend entire days in the woods communing in personal prayer with Hashem. As such, he attained one of the loftiest spiritual levels that any human ever reached. No wonder that the Baal Shem Tov became the founder of the Chassidic movement and the great-grandfather of Rebbe Nachman of Breslev, whose fire burns bright to this day.
In my humble opinion, Hashem has great plans for you too, Jeremy. Only the souls of tzaddikim get such difficult trials like yours. Learn from the Baal Shem Tov, and put all of your trust in Hashem too. That way, you’ll never be lonely again in your life.
Jeremy, I want you to spend sixty minutes every day talking to Hashem in your own words. Hashem will make you feel better, I promise. You will also begin feeling how much Hashem loves you. Don't ever forget – The Big Father in Heaven is always consolation for a little father on earth. Hashem is the True Loving Father.
As you requested, I'm publishing this letter in front of the whole world, to prove that Jeremy and I are the best of friends. Who could not love a wonderful young man like you? May Hashem bless you always. When you reach the age of 18, I'll help you to convince your Mom to let you go to Israel. Meanwhile, learn Torah and daven (pray) geshmack (with vigor). Don't sit in front of a TV set ever, help your mom as much as you can, and keep yourself in good shape with lots of running and hiking. The karate is fine, but don't ever flaunt it. Write me whenever you want and I'll try my best to answer.
Yours with blessings and deepest affection,
Lazer Brody
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