The word nachas is difficult to translate. On the surface it means joy, but in Hebrew there are ten or so words for joy. Nachas is the kind of joy that comes from children. Usually it refers to the joy parents have in watching children not merely grow bigger, but also grow into people who know what is valuable and important. To see a child go outside of themselves and help someone else gives a parent nachas. To see a child make a blessing without prompting because they realize the importance of recognizing the good that God has given us is true nachas.

In Judaism, having children is not just something parents do to be fulfilled or to comply with our genetic drive to make a new generation. Children are most precious because they are the future of our people. It is through subsequent generations that the world can be brought to its ultimate purpose and a holier destiny.

The main mitzvah that Jewish parents are constantly engaged in with their children is that of chinuch, teaching children religious practices and life lessons. We all want to teach children to navigate life and to give them the tools to live a meaningful life. In Judaism this process is built into the interactions between parents and children. For that reason, model the making of a blessing and the appreciation of what God has given us. Blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah morning before attending synagogue so your children can blow it and can see it as something personal and not just something in the synagogue.

When we practice Judaism with children, to a greater or lesser extent, each time we do so we teach them that that their real everyday life is the place of spiritual fulfillment. God, community, and a greater meaning are not just relegated to the walls of the synagogue or temple but can be present in our everyday lives.

One of the greatest and most ancient sources of nachas is taking a few moments to say the shema prayer with children before their bedtime; this prayer goes back more than 3,000 years to its source in the Hebrew Bible. In addition, to read a child a Jewish story, to give charity with them — not just as something good to do, but as a mitzvah — these are things that will stay with them forever and cultivate their Jewish self.