Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Shalom, and welcome to new jewish dad. I'm Jacob Sager, father of five. Today we're exploring the eternal rhythm of jewish fatherhood in our modern world. It's not about finding the perfect balance or making compromises, but about fully embracing the timeless wisdom and the reality of our daily lives. As jewish fathers, we're part of a chain stretching back millennia. When we engage in jewish life, we're not just creating meaning for our families in the present moment, we're connecting ourselves to something much bigger. We're linking our individual stories to the grand narrative of the jewish people. This is the perspective we can offer our children. That every mitzvah they do, every shabbat they keep, every prayer they recite is not just a singular act, but a thread in the great tapestry of jewish continuity. They are part of something timeless, something infinite.
[00:00:55] Lets talk about Jacob, my biblical namesake. This guy was juggling two wives, two more women, twelve sons, each with a clear personality, daughters, a complex relationship with his father in law, as well as a really difficult one with his dad and brother. Talk about family, work, life, imbalance. Yet its through his struggles and imperfections that he becomes Israel, the namesake of our people. And it's the interactions with his sons that shape our history and are the core of the Torah. He's a complex guy, but he's a dad who wrestles with God in his life and making ritual with his children. Perhaps there's a lesson here about embracing the messy reality of who we are. Rather than striving for an impossible ideal, our role as fathers is to help our kids discover these eternal treasures in our tradition. The wisdom, the values, the sense of belonging to a community that spans generations and continents, and that the eternal now is the greatest treasure. We do this not by lecturing or forcing, but by living it ourselves with beauty, love, compassion, and grace. Some days we might feel like we're nailing this whole jewish dad thing. We're leading a spirited Shabbat dinner discussion or helping our kids navigate a tricky moral dilemma with jewish ethics. Other days, we might feel like we're barely keeping our head above water spiritually. You're in the middle of a meeting, and you realize that yesterday was a jewish holiday. But here's the thing. Our kids are watching us in both types of moments. They're learning from our efforts, our struggles, our commitment to keep showing up for our tradition, even when it's hard. The beauty of Judaism lies in its rhythm. Our tradition provides a structure, a heartbeat to our days, weeks, and years. Shabbat arrives faithfully each week, a sacred pause button. The holidays add texture to our years with solemn reflection and joyous celebration.
[00:02:52] And the life cycle events help us realize how our life is growing upward and outward like the rings and branches of a tree. This is the drumbeat that can ground us and our children in a world that often feels chaotic and disinterested. But it's up to us to attune our families to this holy rhythm. That doesn't mean we have to do everything exactly as our parents or our grandparents did. Each generation has to find its own way to make Judaism relevant and resonant. But when we engage with our tradition, when we make it a living, breathing part of our lives, when we bring it into our homes and into our family, we're giving our kids a priceless gift, a sense of rootedness, of belonging to something bigger than themselves. Just this past year, my eldest son, who's going into fourth grade, received his sea door at our synagogues religious school. It's the exact same shul where I grew up, standing there, watching him take this step on his jewish journey. When I was a kid, our rabbi was just starting out as the cantor there with a young family of his own. Now he's a community leader, and his kids are grown. And here I am with five children, watching them, each on their own jewish path. It's a powerful reminder that each generation has its place. But we all are a forest growing together.
[00:04:10] Ultimately, we know our children will have to choose for themselves how they'll engage in their Judaism. But what we can do now, in the precious years that we have them in our homes, is to show them the beauty, the depth, and the joy of a life lived with the rhythm of our tradition. We can model for them what it means to grapple with, to question, to personalize and make meaningful this ancient and ever new heritage. And we can do it imperfectly, with all our human frailties and foibles. Because in the end, our kids don't need perfect jewish dads. They need real ones who are striving, groaning and learning right alongside them. They need us.
[00:04:47] So listen to the rhythm of jewish fatherhood dance to the sacred beat that's pulsing through our people for generations. Let's give our kids the roots they need to grow wings and soar. That was ten analogies. That was so bad.
[00:05:04] This is Jacob Sager reminding you that in every sacred moment with your family, you are a part of a story that is much bigger than yourself. And when you take time to create that story, that is what's holy. Shalom.
