The perpetual discussion surrounding the birth of a newborn child is predictable: each family member has to say whom the child resembles the most. Some are sure that the child’s nose is a replica of the grandfather’s, and others could swear that the blond hair is exactly the shade of the mother’s hair when she was still in diapers. But there is one essential factor that is indisputably in the domain of the child’s mother.

A child’s Jewish identity, his or her Jewish essence, is determined by the mother. That is because a woman relates to the essence of who you are, rather than what you do.

A woman’s role in Judaism isn’t defined by a myriad of details and obligations, but by her overall devotion to G‑dliness. Because she represents the essence of Judaism, she determines her child’s essential Jewishness.

Thoughtstream: Today, I will define myself by my essential identity as a Jewess.

(Adapted from Likkutei Sichot, vol. 31, p. 93, and vol. 3, p. 240.)