At the bris for yet another grandson this week I was gifted not only a new member of our family, but something else: a rare and fleeting glimpse of eternity, an acute sense of being part of a generational chain stretching back four thousand years.

This covenant, this partnership with God and the Jewish people, taking place on a street in Brooklyn in scorching summer heat—with global forces of hate and fear directed at us once again, I found myself beaming with pride to be part of this miraculous people. Knowing that I have contributed to its numbers and, in some small way, to its flourishing stands among my most important achievements.

My son Isaac—whose first child’s bris took place just days after October 7—had given him two names, one for a warrior and the other for a prophet. He explained then that these two things felt necessary for his son, born at such a dark and uncertain time. The names had been chosen consciously,........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)