Super moms, each of you. There are some people who deserve recognition every single day, and preschool moms are at the top of that list. I watch you arrive each morning juggling little hands, backpacks, lunch boxes, water bottles, and the countless responsibilities that come with raising a family. You are balancing work, home, appointments, meals, carpools, and somehow still finding room to give so much of yourselves. Some days it feels like a lot, but I hope you know that I see women raising the next generation with endless love, patience, and devotion. You are doing an incredible job.
In this week's Torah portion, Devarim, Moshe looks at the Jewish people and says, "You are today as numerous as the stars of heaven." Although the Jewish people were not literally as countless as the stars on that day, they are compared to the stars because they endure forever. A star never stops shining. Its light is always there, even when we cannot see it. It is often only when darkness falls that its steady glow becomes most noticeable. We are a nation of stars. Throughout our history there have been moments when our light shone brightly for all to see, and moments when it seemed hidden. Yet our light has never been extinguished. It is eternal.
As we enter the period called the Nine Days, we mourn the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, our Holy Temple in Jerusalem. We mourne a time when our nation's light was revealed in its fullest glory. We feel homesick, longing for Hashem's Presence to once again be felt among us. We never stop believing. We await the coming of Moshiach and the day when the Beit Hamikdash will once again stand in Jerusalem. Until then, every act of kindness, every mitzvah, and every Jewish value we pass on to our children adds another point of light to our world. As mothers, you are not only raising children. You are raising enduring stars whose inherent light can never be extinguished. May we soon merit the day when all of our lights shine together in Jerusalem with the coming of Moshiach, and the Beit Hamikdash once again radiates its light to the entire world.