This Week's Mommy Peptalk: Rivka bat Yael

What every Jewish mom can learn from the tragic accident of Rivka bat Yael Razel.

3 comments

  1. Thank you.
    Chaya, a mother of a child in the same class.

  2. Amen! Kein Yehi Ratzon.

  3. Thank you so much for your message. It’s almost eerie how the story you told reflects an experience/realization I had at the end of last week.

    During the week, I received your e-mail about this poor little girl and her family. I thought, “Wow. That’s really sad,” and I moved on with my day. It did not evoke deep emotions, and when I davened, it slipped my mind to include her in my list of names for a refuah shlema.

    On Friday, a few hours before Shabbat, I was way ahead of schedule and went out for a walk with my 4 month old daughter. I plopped her in the car seat, put the car seat on the stroller, and went around the block.

    When we arrived back home, I took the car seat off the stroller, and completely forgetting that she was not strapped in for the walk because we hadn’t gone in the car, I swung the car seat a little too quickly through the door. The next thing I know, my beautiful baby flew off the bottom of the car seat and lay on the concrete crying.

    Once I picked her up and calmed her a bit, I of course was filled with all sorts of negative emotions toward myself, feeling like a horrible negligent Mom. With time, I began to understand that this could happen to anybody, and I spent every moment thanking Hashem profusely for sparing her serious injury as a result of my mistake. Thank G-d for padded diapers to cushion the landing!!

    In addition to a newfound appreciation for my whole family’s health that this experience gave me, it also made a wave of sympathy and sadness wash over me for the family of Rivka bat Yael. My near-tragic situation allowed me to actually understand a fraction of the emotions her Mommy must feel.

    Since then, I pray for her with an emotion-filled heart every time I daven, because like the people in your story, I was nearly there, even though I wasn’t the one affected.

    May Rivka bat Yael have a refuah shlema and may her whole family arise from this situation with renewed strength and a deep appreciation for everything Hashem has blessed them with.

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