BackFamily First
By: Rabbi Dr. Abraham Unger
Remember the stories your grandparents told you. Remember the unique narratives that belong to your children and grandchildren, and only to them. Those are your origin tales – the ways your values came to be shaped and the sources of their evolution.
Our Torah knows this. It emphatically reminds us that family comes first in terms of loyalty, heritage, and foundation for the future. In this week’s Shabbat reading, each familial unit stemming from the 12 sons of Jacob are instructed to have their own banner. Rashi explains that this means each child should recognize “the sign of their father.”
Each family unit has a crest, so to speak. The symbols on a crest typically represent the respective family’s history and core values. What would be on your family’s crest? How would you distill for posterity your ancestors’ stories, and how do you want to transmit them to be lived and felt unto the generations?
Being a parent or grandparent signifies we are children of another generation. We bring to bear our experiences, woven into the tapestry of those who came before. Family first, and forever.