Rebecca Masinter

Parshas Va'eira - One Stage At a Time

Sometimes I look at all the time and energy I’m putting into my children and wonder what I could accomplish if I were using that in another way. Would I have a great career? Would I be able to do more chesed? Achieve great things? I get heartened though from this week's Parsha. The Torah tells us the ages of Moshe and Aharon when they stood before Pharaoh. Moshe was 80 and Aharon was 83. Maybe in their 30’s, 50’s, or at some other age, Moshe and Aharon also wondered what they were accomplishing. Their major life’s mission didn’t even begin until they were two-thirds of the way through their lives. Yet see how much they accomplished over the next forty years! I know with all my heart that every moment I dedicate to my children and family at this point is invaluable and the fulfillment of the mission I believe I have been granted in this world. However, with Hashem's help, I and you too, will have many years ahead of us, when our children are no longer home with us. Times when we too will be able to apply our energies in new directions. The choices we make today, when our children are home don’t limit us forever. They are for this time period and through the grace of Hashem we will have time afterwards to pursue other opportunities in other areas. Probably, even well before we hit 80! Let's enjoy and maximize each stage of our lives to the fullest!