We have eleven children of our own, kein ayin hara, and our oldest ones are already married and parents in their own right. We were looking forward to the “grandparent” era of parenting, gratefully closing the chapter on bottles, terrible twos, and potty training, when Hashem gave us our own “Lech Lecha” challenge.
We got a distraught call from Rosalia*, an elderly woman, who told us her daughter’s stability had resulted in the termination of her parental rights. Her three little children were about to be lost in the foster system, shuffled from one non-Jewish family to the next.
We drove to Kaunus to meet them. We originally thought we’d place them in our dormitory, but when we saw them, we knew we couldn’t do that. The youngest was a tiny two-year-old toddler, who sucked his thumb vigorously and peered at us through scared eyes. We knew these poor children needed as much love and stability as possible. There could be no replacement for a home with a father and mother figure. We became their legal guardians and adopted them, welcoming them into our family and our home.
These children have suffered trauma far beyond their years, and don’t know how to properly express their fears and emotions. It presents a set of challenges to navigate as we try to learn to live with each other.
The first time they watched my wife light Shabbos candles, they stared in wondrous amazement. When we took them to shul on Shabbos, and brought the Sifrei Torah close so they could kiss it, you could almost see the purity of their neshamos shining on their faces. It was the first time these innocent souls had even experienced kedusha, and it was incredibly moving to see how deeply it affected them.
We know every child is a bracha, and we thank Hashem for the zechus of raising another three neshamos. We daven every day that Hashem helps us find the path to overcome the upheaval of their past and raise them joyfully and successfully.
