Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

My father, Leo Israel Samuel was a very wise man in more ways than I can remember. But here is one anecdote I do remember that I would like to share with all you parents out there in cyber-space.

Many years ago, when I was a young child of about five or six, I remember getting upset with my parents. I felt so angry, I told my Father, “I don’t want to live here anymore!” My father decided to teach me one of many memorable life lessons. To my surprise, he said, “OK, I will help you pack your suitcase.”

So, he immediately took out a tiny suitcase, and packed some of my clothes in it. He walked me to the street corner. Oh yes, before I forget, at that time we were living in a small town on the Pennsylvanian border named, “Midland.” Midland was an old steel-mining town, which had a population of about 5,000 people at the time.

Well, being so young, I was shocked that my father walked me outside to the corner. Where was I going to go? What would I do for dinner? I was getting anxious—and hungry! I stood there at the stop light. Being so young, I was afraid to cross the street because cars would dart past me. Confused, I began to cry, and cry I did.

Well, Father brought me home and gave me a spanking that really hurt! He said, “You are a part of this family—whether you like it or not, so you had better start liking it because there’s nothing you can do about it!” Well, when I was eight, I remember trying to run away a second time, and sure enough-Father caught me and spanked me-again! By then, I was cured . . .

Now, let’s fast-forward this tape to the year 1975, the year I had worked on my rabbinical ordination in Brooklyn. The streets of Brooklyn are not known for their safety. If you don’t get mugged, you always run the risk of getting hit by a speeding motorist. I can recall several near-misses where either I or a friend nearly got ran over by speeding motorist.

In New York, if you have small children, it’s generally a good idea to make sure either the child walks with a group of other kids—preferably older children—or better yet, a parent should always walk the child or pick the child up from school. In addition, parents must make it a daily exercise to tell their children, “Do not talk to strangers.” As a child, I never understood exactly why, but these words served to protect me from harm’s way in my early youth.

The reason I mention this story is because of the tragedy that occurred earlier this past month in Brooklyn. I mention this anecdote so that parents in general will take the necessary measures to not let young children—and especially young children that have known learning difficulties, such as poor Leiby. His parents made a dreadful mistake, one that had disastrous consequences for their family and son.

Hopefully, parents everywhere will learn some hard lessons and realize that the watchful eye of a parent offers the best security a young child can possibly want. Trust me, I learned this lesson many years ago, when I was youngster living in a small town in Pennsylvania.