Every Day Is Father's Day: Teaching Me How to Carry the Light

"You never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory."

The first photo was taken by my father more than fifty years ago. I am a young child, captivated by the light of a Havdalah candle.

At the time, it was simply a father capturing a fleeting moment with his son. Neither of us could have imagined how much that image would come to mean to me.

I did not yet understand that the message symbolized by that flame—the power of light to illuminate darkness and the belief that God's presence can be found even in life's most difficult moments—would become one of the defining ideas of my life.

Words cannot express the love and gratitude I feel for my father, Rabbi Herbert Cohen, who, thank God, is 83 years old, and for my mother, of blessed memory. Together they instilled in me a deep faith in God, optimism, joy, a sense of purpose, and the conviction that every day is an opportunity to bring a little more light into the world.

The second photo was taken on the day of my graduation from Yeshiva University, just months after my mother's passing. The pain was real, but so was the determination to live in her light and carry her flame forward. My father teaches us that while we cannot choose every circumstance in life, we can choose whether we will surrender to darkness or continue to bring light.

The third photo reminds me that some of life's greatest blessings are the relationships that deepen with time.

Looking back, I realize that the greatest gift my father gives me is not simply what he teaches me, but what he lives. He teaches us that life is a sacred mission; that every day is a gift from God; that health is wealth; that gratitude is the foundation of happiness; and that growth never ends. Whether through the Torah he studied, the pocket Mishnah he carried, or the wisdom he loved to share from Rabbi Avigdor Miller, Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, Zig Ziglar, and countless other teachers, he reminds us again and again that our purpose is to keep learning, keep growing, and bring more light into the world.

My father has always said, "Every day is Father's Day."

The older I get, the more I understand what he means.

Today is a wonderful opportunity to express gratitude, but the deeper lesson is not to wait for a date on the calendar. If there is someone who helped shape your life, taught you, believed in you, sacrificed for you, or carried you through difficult moments, let them know. Honor them not only today, but every day.

Abba, thank you for teaching me how to carry the light.

May God grant you many more years of health, happiness, growth, blessing, and nachas.

I love you.