By COLlive reporter
Little else shapes the lives of Torah observant families than the continuity of having children. As is well known, the Rebbe put this subject front and center of the Jewish – and general – agenda, devoting much time and attention to it at Farbregnens, N’shei Chabad gatherings, etc.
This year, 5780 marks 40 years from when the Rebbe officially launched a campaign for the encouragement of having many children at the N’shei Chabad convention calling it “a new era in the activities of N’shei U’bnos Chabad” (16 Sivan 5740).
Now, for the first time, a comprehensive and researched book on the subject has been published.
The author, Rabbi Mendel Dubov, is a Shliach in Sussex County, NJ, and is known to many from his classes and writings on Chabad.org. The book bears approbations and blessings from some of the leading Rabbanim and Poskim in the US including Rabbi Avraham Osdoba, Rabbi Hershel Schachter, and Rabbi Gavriel Zinner.
“The importance of clarity and articulation in this matter cannot be overstated,” says Rabbi Dubov, “having many children defines and changes absolutely everything for a family. We have to get this one right. This would be true in any event, but all the more so when society around us has gone in the completely opposite direction.”
The first part of the book is devoted to explaining the concept. Why indeed is having another child so important? The answer reaches into some of the fundamental teaching of Torah as illuminated by Chasidus and particularly the Rebbe’s Maamarim and Sichos.
Following this, the book elaborates on the many joys and benefits in having a larger family. The third part addresses practicalities: the approach to financial concerns, tuition costs, physical and emotional strain, the children in a large family, parental efficiency, etc.
Finally, the last two chapters deal with the question of ‘birth spacing’, and the possible times of when childbearing may indeed need to be put on hold. An appendix to the book addresses the question of ‘family planning’ for the non-Jew – a subject the Rebbe included in his Sichos and gave much attention to.
The book is published by Mosaica Press and distributed by Feldheim. It is available in Jewish bookstores worldwide as well as on Amazon.com. It is also available as an ebook (Kindle) and soon in Audiobook format.
My personal main struggle is parnosa…very hard and super expensive Jewish Life. I wish to have more kids but probably I will not…..
Read the book, or better yet what the Rebbe says in answer to that exact concern. You will find it enlightening and freeing.
Every child comes with his suitcase full of brochos for the family. We don’t control our lives but for sure in the big scheme of things if we leave it to GD it will be better for us.
It is a hard mission to trust and leave all to HaShem when parnosa is a main struggle,without stable income hard to maintain Shalom Bais and raise happy kids.All income is going to the rent in outskirts of CH, yeshivos and bills, we cut our food bill to the limit and clothes we buy only for the YT, last year we took coats for needy kids… how low we can go, I do not know how to increase my parnosa and how to stretch my dollar, we are pasta& eggs mainly…I know I need to focus on only good, but… Read more »
But put in mind without any question that every kid is more brocho begashmius ! To raise happy family is more easy with money but the main thing is to meditate chsidus in a way of internalizing the emuno to be bitochoin not easy but the only way !! Look up the maamorim of maim rabbim on Noah parsho and demand ashirus from a bes din based in oiroo of the rebbe sichas 10 Elul 5751( maybe5750)
Amen thank you for your kind word
With abundance of everything you need in a Gashmius and revealed way, and May He give you the Koach to get through the times that you don’t have with a smile and with from Bitachon, feeling loved that you are Hashems Kind and you are doing the best you can. Keep at it. Hashem will give