Grandparent power #Vayakhi#Vayachi#parashathashavua#devartorah

For the very first time in the Torah in this week’s parasha, Vayechi, grandparents interact and speak to their grandchildren. Jacob blesses two of his grandchildren Menashe and Ephraim saying, “The angel who has redeemed me from all harm bless the lads. In them may my name be recalled, and the names of my father Abraham and Isaac, and may they be teeming multitudes upon the earth. “(Genesis 48:16)  

Grandparents are great bridge-builders. For many of our families the grandparents are the source of Yiddishkeit. Grandchildren look to the grandparents as Jewish role models and their home are associated with Jewish rituals like lighting Shabbat candles and holding a Passover Seder. How many times have I sadly heard that when the grandparents have passed away, the family slowly but surely stopped doing Jewish things.

Judy and I have six wonderful, smart, and cute grandchildren. So far my grandchildren are lucky that most of them have grandparents on both sides of the family in their lives. I pray that my grandchildren will benefit from all their grandparents’ attachment to Judaism and the Jewish people. They will be able to see that all their grandparents and their homes are good role models for them.

In a sense, it seems strange that grandparents can have such far-reaching influence. After all, they can be separated in age from their grandchildren by 40 to 70 years. Yet they have an uncanny ability to bridge that generation gap—sometimes even better than parents can.

Older Jews, including grandparents and great grandparents, have a unique responsibility and opportunity—that of example and instruction—which either directly or indirectly keeps the heritage of our people alive from generation to generation.

Let’s be thankful for the strong heritage of Yiddishkeit, love, and family that (great) grandparents can leave to those who come after them. And grandparents should seize every opportunity of relating to their (great) grandchildren, so that their faith will become the faith of their children’s children.