“And they dug another well, and they quarreled about it… And he moved away from there, and he dug another well….”
(Bereishis 26:21-22)
When I was a young boy, I had two distinct images of a strong man. One was of Charles Atlas, a muscular character who appeared on the rear cover of the comic books I voraciously read. If you remember him, you’re no longer a youngster.
The other image was a member of the small synagogue where my father z”l prayed. I don’t think anyone knew his real name; they all referred to him as “the Shtarker,” the Strong Man. To me, he looked at least seven feet tall. His physical prowess was demonstrated when he lifted the Torah for hagba’ah, always his honor, as no one else could compete with his strength. (Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, OU Torah)
Shloime’s been going through a contrary stage. Maybe it’s the weather change, or the fact that his teacher was out for a while, but he has a serious case of the “opposites,” and my patience is getting a workout.
Bedtime’s taking longer as we have to agree on the pajamas, the book we’re reading that night, and even the angle of his pillow. And mornings are fraught with tension because all these negotiations must be made before the school bus starts honking.
But I persevere… I try… This isn’t my first kid, remember? I know how to do this, it’s a matter of control, firmness, and huge dosages of patience, patience, patience. But it’s getting harder by the day. Don’t diets get easier the longer you hold out? Why is this any different?
I’ve come to reflect upon the many “shtarkers” in the Torah. Shimshon is an obvious candidate. But kindly Avraham was a warrior, and Moshe, Yehoshua, Shaul and Dovid were all shtarkers, leading their people in battle.
One figure stands out as a “non-shtarker,” a gentle soul, perhaps even a pacifist: Yitzchak. He commits no aggressive acts, however legitimate, and never even asserts himself verbally. Rabbi Yehuda Shaviv (MiSinai Ba) reflects upon this portrait of Yitzchak and questions that according to Kabbalah, the trait of gevurah — strength — is assigned specifically to Yitzchak, who seems to least exemplify it.
Today I picked up both my son and grandson from school. Their classrooms are a few feet apart, so it’s always a kick to go generation-hopping on days that I babysit.
