Page 229 - The Legacy of Abraham Rothstein - text

Letters

Dec. 28 47
Los Angeles, Calif.
To my granddaughter Sharon,

Dear, this is to conclude the unfinished conversation we held
together on the day I visited you in Palm Springs. I have seen the
results of my advice to you in regards to emotions. When you kissed
your grandfather Jacob goodbye, I felt proud of you. I saw then that
you have a receptive mind and good understanding, not to be
offended when a friend—a real friend—calls your attention to a
wrong deed or an offending expression to a parent or grandparent or
even to a stranger. A friendly answer will subdue the anger even of an
enemy. Bacon, a great philosopher, once said that conversation is half
of education. Well, I enjoyed an hour of conversation with you when
we walked up and down the road waiting for your dear parents, and I
profited just as much as you did from that friendly talk we had. As a
rabbi once said when his pupils asked him from which teacher he had
learned the most, “from my teachers I learned a lot, but from my
pupils I learned more than from all my teachers.” So, you see, I
learned something from your talks with me
In the ten commandments of Moses, which are a condensed
moral and ethical law for the society of humans, there is a command
which carries a [? unclear] with it: thou shalt respect thy father and
mother, that thy life shall be prolonged. What does it mean? It means
that when you respect your parents you listen to their advice, and, of
course, they advise you for the best: for your health, your intelligence,
your morals, and all that is good for your happy future. Remember,
my dear, when your parents tell you to do or not to do certain things,
they have in mind your welfare, not only for the present, but also in
the future. So keep this in mind and say to yourself: yes! they are
older, and they understand, and they love me.
Hoping to hear from you, and to continue our conversation,

I remain,
yours,

Abraham Rothstein

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