The Centrality of the Family in Judaism
חֲבוּרָה וּמִשְׁפָּחָה כָּךְ הֵן דּוֹמִים לְכִפַּת אֲבָנִים, אַתְּ נוֹטֵל מִמֶּנָּהּ אֶבֶן אַחַת וְכוּלָּהּ מִתְרוֹעֲעַת, אַתְּ נוֹתֵן עָלֶיהָ אֶבֶן אַחַת וְכוּלָּהּ עוֹמֶדֶת.
A society and a family are like a pile of stones. If you remove one stone, the pile will collapse. If you add a stone to it, it will stand.
This text, from the 4th century C.E., provides a metaphor through which we can view the family structure in our tradition.
Biblical Underpinning
There are many instances in our tradition in which our ancestors' families were unnecessarily separated.
In one instance, we find Jacob having just learned about the loss of Joseph. Here is his response:
(לד) וַיִּקְרַ֤ע יַעֲקֹב֙ שִׂמְלֹתָ֔יו וַיָּ֥שֶׂם שַׂ֖ק בְּמָתְנָ֑יו וַיִּתְאַבֵּ֥ל עַל־בְּנ֖וֹ יָמִ֥ים רַבִּֽים׃ (לה) וַיָּקֻמוּ֩ כָל־בָּנָ֨יו וְכָל־בְּנֹתָ֜יו לְנַחֲמ֗וֹ וַיְמָאֵן֙ לְהִתְנַחֵ֔ם וַיֹּ֕אמֶר כִּֽי־אֵרֵ֧ד אֶל־בְּנִ֛י אָבֵ֖ל שְׁאֹ֑לָה וַיֵּ֥בְךְּ אֹת֖וֹ אָבִֽיו׃
How should we, individually and communally, respond to the cries of those in need?
Describe a moment in your life in which you felt like a stranger in a foreign land?
What are the necessities that we rely upon every day that we could offer to those in need?
(6) Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old, he will not depart from it.
This proverb teaches us the importance of role modeling and creating systems that allow everyone to succeed.
What are the important life lessons that you learned as a child that you hold on to today?
What lessons might we be teaching children, intentionally or unintentionally, by having them live in detention centers, away from their families?
What lessons might these children lose in their time away from their families?