Can You Spare a Child?

Feivel and Moshe were not only brothers, they were also the best of friends, living not far from each other in a small shtetl. But life had treated them both very differently: Feivel was a wealthy man, but he and his wife Rachel were childless; Moshe and his wife Devorah had a house full of children, but they barely managed to make ends meet.

One day Feivel hesitantly approached his brother with a proposition.

"Moshe, you know that I have no children while you and your wife, Devorah, have been blessed with such a large family."Perhaps you would consider giving us one of your children to raise in our home and to treat as our own?" Rachel and I were talking the other day, and we wondered—perhaps you would consider giving us one of your children to raise in our home and to treat as our own? Of course the child would still be yours… but we would be able to provide him or her with all the best that money can buy. For us to have even one child in our home would be truly wonderful—and you already have so many children!"

Moshe told his brother that he would discuss this idea with his wife. That night, after the children had gone to sleep, he broached the idea to Devorah.

"I don't know," she said hesitantly, "it would be so difficult… Which child would we give away?"

"Let's go check them out," suggested Moshe.

So they went into the first bedroom, where all the boys were sleeping. Alex—no, they couldn't give away Alex, he was such a happy soul; he brought joy into the whole house. Berel? No, he was too sensitive. Aaron was growing into such a scholar, a real nachas—no, not Aaron. And not Chaim, and not Herschel and not Eli…

In the girls' room, matters did not get any easier. Golda was too shy, and it wouldn't be good for Zelda or Leah…Sara was the artistic one, Miriam was her mother's helper in the kitchen, Dina was so good with the little ones, Golda was too shy, and it wouldn't be good for Zelda or Leah…

The next day, Moshe went over to Feivel's house.

"We thought about your suggestion, and we really wanted to help you out," he explained. "But you – and I – made one mistake. You said I have many children, and maybe I could give one of them to you. But the truth is I don't have many children: I have one Alex and one Sara and one Herschel and one Miriam… And how can I give away any one of these children?"

The Baal Shem Tov taught that "G‑d's love for each and every Jew is infinitely greater than the love of elderly parents for their only child born to them in their later years."

Each soul is unique, special, and precious.

How do we see our fellow Jews? Do we share G‑d's perspective?