Personhood at 3am - Parshat Vaetchanan 5786

So there I was, shuttling between the NICU and the recovery room, doing what I do under pressure: deflecting fear through humor and showmanship. Performing calm and competence I did not feel. Sometime around 3am, when it was really just me awake, looking at this brand new tiny person hooked up to machines and tubes, P.T. Barnum ran out of material.And I started saying the Shema.