The Amazing Mother Duck

B"H

I just watched this video of a mother duck standing at the top of the stairs, calmly watching as her 12 little ducklings struggled to make it up there, for what felt like forever.

The title of the version I saw, (sent from a friend on whatsapp) was "Never Give Up," but my first instinct when watching it was to feel such compassion for those little babies who seemed to have such a selfish and pitiless mother!

Of course it was so easy for her to jump up there, but how could she bear to watch her babies suffer like that all alone? She knows they can't fly yet.. Why couldn't she wait downstairs until all her ducklings made it up, and only then, follow them as well?

But then I realized, she's their mama! She naturally loves them and knows what's best for them. She was probably on her way to take them to the water for the first time and this was surely the only way they could survive.

(And this might not be the first or hardest thing they had to go through. Who knows from how high they had to jump to get out of their nest?)

She didn't abandon them! She was patiently waiting right there until the very last one succeeded. But she had to be the one to go up first, because what else would motivate them except for her absence?!

Nothing else would make them leave their comfort zone. Nothing else would bring out their hidden potential that they didn't know they had.

This amazing mama believed in her babies. She knew it was possible. And she gave them no choice but to keep trying again and again.

Well, of course, she's not really that "amazing";) For her it's just instinct and the only way of survival. But everything Hashem shows us through His fascinating nature, is here to inspire us.

And today, this mother duck inspired me.

There is nothing harder than to let our kids struggle. There is nothing harder than to let our kids fall. There is nothing harder than to resist the urge to lift them up.

We so desperately want to protect them from frustration, from pain, from shame.

We want be there to rescue them every single time they feel sad. We can't bear to watch them cry. We can't bear to let them feel disappointed. We can't bear to let them feel that we don't care.

But if we can't let our kids fail, we are actually failing our kids.

Because our main job as parents is to bring out their full potential by pushing their limits.

Our job is to teach them how to jump and how to fly. Our job is to encourage them to try and try, and try again. Our job is to teach them not to be afraid. Our job is to raise them to independence.

Our job is not to solve things for them that they can really solve themselves.

And sometimes that means that we need to go ahead, and compassionately watch as they struggle down below.
They will be ok. They will sense that we believe in them, and they will eventually come to believe in themselves.

And then I thought of our Rebbe.

Our Rebbe who guided us, inspired us, and encouraged us from below for as long as he possibly could. Who gave us all the tools that we could ever possibly need to succeed. Who supported us in every way, and showered us with love and care, so that we could never doubt that he would ever abandon us, G-d forbid.

But then, he had no choice but to jump up ahead, eagerly waiting for us to catch up.

As if to say, "From now on, if you really want to be with me, the only option is for you to join me up here. I already did everything I could, and I'm with you with all my heart and soul, but I can't do the work for you. Now it's all in your hands."

Today, the only way we can reach our father is by jumping out of our comfort zone, jumping out of our normal routine, and jumping out of our Golus mindset.

We have no choice but to be bold and stubborn and never give up.

Until we reveal our hidden soul powers. Until we realize the purpose of creation. Until we reunite with our Rebbe in the 3rd Beis Hamikdash.

There is surely nothing more painful for him than to watch us struggle and fall. But as long as our eyes are still on him, as long as we're still trying, as long as we're still pained by our separation, he knows that we'll make it.

The fact that we're in this situation is the biggest proof of his complete faith in us, and the biggest proof that we will definitely succeed. May it be Now!

https://youtu.be/JHy6bBKu0j4

לע״נ ר׳ מנחם מאיר בן ר׳ חיים משה יהודה הכהן  ע״ה