In Sanhedrin 99a Chazal state, When one teaches his friend’s son Torah, it is considered as if he “made” him, as it is written “and the soul which they made in Charan”. The Talmud is referring to the various “souls” that were “made” by Avraham Avinu in the course of his teaching people to believe in Hashem. From this statement in the Talmud, we may derive that the word “made” alludes to the act of establishing or completing an endeavor. Parents obviously share in a child’s creation, but the actual completion of an individual is accomplished only through Torah study and mitzvah performance. This may be interpreted into the context of the pasuk, Is He not your Father that has gotten you? Hashem is your Father in Heaven and He created you. Hashem, however, is even more than that He “made” you and established you. The opportunity for true completion becomes accessible only through the neshoma (soul) which He gave you. Through this unique gift, Hashem enables you to uplift yourself beyond the confines of this world, in order to attain total “shleimus”.
