Despite proudly displaying pictures of my eight-month-old dog Izzo on Facebook as if he were my child, I cannot claim to be an actual father. I wouldn't dare compare the task of being a parent to owning a pet. However, I do believe Abbie and I are being offered a glimpse into the world of being the sole caretakers for a living being. I distinctly remember the first night we brought Izzo home. We put him to sleep in his crate, he cried-he has a major FOMO, fear of missing out-and then sometime later he fell asleep. A few minutes later, I turned to Abbie and said, "How do we know if he is still breathing?" It was a strange moment: I felt a lack of control over the very being that I was just getting used to being in control of. And, at that moment, I had to simply trust that his mammal functions were working correctly. Simply put, I wanted to protect my dog.

            What I soon realized was that I could not protect Izzo at all times of the day. In fact, offering him full protection wasn't so simple even when we tried - we put him on a leash, he wiggled out and ran off; we fed him the right amount of food, but he ate too much and threw up; we made sure dangerous items were closed and he chewed through the bottom of the aspirin! All we could do was try our best: take Izzo out to the bathroom, give him space to run and play, train him to behave well, provide him food and a place to sleep. Anything beyond the basics is out of our control. It was the first time in my life that I did not have control over something I was responsible for sustaining, and that was not easy!

            This week, in Parashat Eikev, we learn in-depth the idea of responsibility. More specifically, the Torah expands on the concept of reward and responsibility: if you followmitzvot, you will be rewarded. However, while Moshe specifically outlines the rewards that the Jewish people will receive for following mitzvot, I believe he is taking a bit of a different angle. Moshe is essentially saying do what you are supposed to do and trust God to protect you. In other words, take control of what you can and let the pieces fall into place.

This lesson is challenging - as human beings we want to be fully in control; it is not natural submit control over our lives. But, as being a first-time dog owner (and God willing one day a parent), I believe that we live this lesson daily when we care for others. Even when we provide everything we can and offer as much protection as possible, some things are left to change, out of our control. I still text my parents when I take off for a flight and again when I land, letting them know that I arrived safely. And, whenever I go on a long-distance drive they call an average of three times per hour! Yet, as I've grown to learn what it means to fully take care of something else, I've also learned to love those calls. And perhaps that is Moshe's message: to work hard for what w can control, while learning to appreciate and be thankful for what we cannot.