Our Family, Our Strength - Principle #23: Vacations - Rabbi Yirmiyahu Abramov

continue in now twenty five basic principles of child of Jewish child rearing we're now in principle number 23 and this is vacations and outings now it's an old an age-old tradition that at some points in the year a family go away together an experience together now this is a great opportunity of interacting in a relaxed environment changing gears we don't have the hustle bustle of our daily routines we're not burdened with our regular responsibilities business etc and the children the schools are no longer breathing down their neck and and they don't have the pressures of tests and examinations and homework so there really is a great relaxed atmosphere and this is a fantastic possibility of creating real long lasting bonds now there are some parents who unfortunately dread vacations they feel of a I'm going to spend so much time with these children they're going to get on my nerves so then you really need to reappraise their relationship with their children because if a vacation is handled correctly it can be fun for all relaxation for all funding for all and that's really what we need to achieve it doesn't mean that every moment of the vacation time the parents are entertaining the children the parents can take up some time for themselves also they have to engage the children happily as possible in the adventure and the new and the spirit of the edge of the vacation if they're in the sea if they're at the seaside or if they're climbing mountains and exploring so they are busy with what they are doing that at the same time parents can also relax parents can access I set their children are playing with adequate games and toys etc the parents can go for their little quiet little walk they can go for their little little snooze they can read and relax their book that they've taken definitely parents also need this relaxation to build up new energies and new strengths for the forthcoming year so um one of the ways of really bringing an avocation into a stimulating and exciting experience is to have a theme for every vacation and at mealtimes possibly discuss some topic in the theme one can take one can decide and we're going to compose some songs about certain our little inner family songs we're going to study something interesting and exciting together make quizzes let the children put on charades and acts a little plays around the theme sometimes having a theme is is great the children remember it now one word of very serious caution going on vacation is a complete change it's a radical change from our regular environment it should never be the recipe for relaxing our religious principles that is we should make sure that we find a minyan to pray with every day there should be an example to the children that we have to travel distances sometimes we might be at a nice exciting vacation spot but a Jew needs to pray in a minyan every day jus needs to be connected somehow with the community so make these efforts we must make sure since the study of ferrara is a very integral part of a Jew's life make sure this time for for study this time for study we'll study together each man studying his own material have our challenges of what we're going to be studying that can go alongside a football game or a game of catches that's played later but children should never perceive vacation as a time when you can relax or compromise your religious levels of course we're more relaxed we dress down but when one goes to pray or when one goes to perform a mitzvah one should get dressed in accordance with Aloha and make sure that M the children perceive you don't go on vacation from life we go and don't go on vacation from Torah or from yiddishkeit vacation is a time to rejuvenate to reconnect and to restore ourselves so we have to keep this very delicate balance