Rosh Hashanah Day Two: The Greatest Unsung Heroes in the World

Some of the least appreciated people in the world are our parents. One of the most undervalued achievements in life is the art of childbearing and childrearing.

We hear so much about the innovators in science, medicine, economics, business, the arts, and even in sports and entertainment. We have Hall of Fames in all modern sports. Academy awards, Tony awards, Grammy awards, Emmy awards.

But where are the Halls of Fame and the awards recognizing and honoring those that brought every single one of us – and every single one of these innovators and artists – into this world?! We worship all these shallow and inconsequential accomplishments, while virtually neglecting the single most important event in our lives: Our birth, and those that gave us birth!

Enter Rosh Hashana and it reminds us of the foundations upon which we are built – the parents that gave birth to us. And how the tears they shed and the prices they paid shape the lives of their children and of their offspring till the end of time.

Long before the Oscars and the Hall of Fames honoring the superficial and the temporary, long before the World Series, the World Cup, the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup – and all the other major events in our material world – came Rosh Hashana and wakes us up to appreciate and celebrate the eternal things in life, the things that truly matter, now and forever.

A deeper look at the Torah readings of Rosh Hashana, an awe-inspiring Midrash about Rachel’s tears and sacrifices for her children piercing the very heavens and eliciting G-d’s sacrifices for His children; a heartbreaking story of children in Auschwitz keeping a promise made to their mother; a few powerful anecdotes and insights – all come together to remind us that raising children is our most sacred mission. And it’s worth every sacrifice.