Unto us a child is born.

The birth of a child, any child, represents renewal, the next generation to whom we will pass our wisdom, the offspring we hope will make better mistakes than we did.




To the child, facing the oncoming world is a challenge and to us to us, parents and grandparents, the proposition is the same. In Deuteronomy, G-d tells us: "I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live..." The choices we make about how we raise the next generation, and the kind of world we leave them, are in the end exactly that: we can accept the life abundant offered us, or we can choose not to live. Every generation makes that choice in their own time. Christmas is an opportunity to reflect on the amazing opportunity life offers, and the tremendous responsibility it entails.

Have a Happy Christmas.