A Thought for the Week
The Name's the Same

How is it possible that, after 210 years of enslavement in an alien environment, the Jews left Egypt as Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, and not as "Rameses" or "Potiphar"? The secret lies in the way they first entered Egypt: "These are the names of the Children of Israel who came to Egypt... Reuben, Simeon, Levi, etc...."1

When Jews enter Egypt, a land whose way of life and general outlook is the very opposite of their own, the first vital step is to ensure that the children do not forget who they are and who their parents were. They must always know and ever remember that they are the Children of Israel, Jewish children, descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.2 They must cling to their Jewish names with pride; their daily conduct must immediately identify them as Jewish children, as a Reuben, a Simeon, a Levi, and a Judah.

Such pride can only be instilled by a deep-rooted Jewish education, which imbues children with the strength of character to remain a separate, unique, distinct people, despite the severest hardships of the Egyptian exile. Such education builds an inner strength and provides the assurance that we will leave Egypt with all our children intact, with our sons and daughters proud, intense, and wholesome Jews.

Eternal Torah proclaims an ever-relevant message for all ages and for all lands -- a message of particular pertinence and importance in our day and in this land: The survival of the Jewish people, the unity of the Jewish home, and the guarantee that our children will remain proud and aware Jews, is completely dependent upon a thorough, Torah-true education without compromise and without dilution.3