Following a "Legacy" (or not)

 I attended a beautiful Torah Fund luncheon yesterday. The honoree was surrounded by a loving family and, of course, close to 100 of her "sisterhood family." What struck me was the long standing commitment that so many of her relatives had, including her mother, to Torah Fund. This family understood the value of supporting our Torah Fund campaign. I often hear clergy proudly tell me that their mothers and grandmothers were active in sisterhood and Women's League. I suppose this is what creating a legacy does. Handing down an important value, modeling the spirit of giving, and remaining active in the Jewish community are indeed the elements of leaving a legacy.

I also often see many of us who raised our families literally inside the synagogue walls, and our children do not find its relevance. We lived the community life, followed our traditions, gave generously to Jewish causes, and yet our legacy is not followed. Perhaps things like this are cyclical.

My parents did not attend services and were not "joiners." We had a culturally Jewish home, celebrated the major holidays, changed dishes for Passover but did not keep kosher. I think my mother spent the fifties writing to President Eisenhower daily, to get off the golf course and do his work. She had no time, in between reading the New York Times every morning and the afternoon paper every afternoon and  driving my brother and I everywhere typical suburban children need to go. She took us to our music lessons, scouting, sports, and, of course, Hebrew School.  We went three days a week and to Junior Congregation every Shabbat. She dropped us off and we went in.

I am that child who was dropped off. Did she create a legacy for me?  The value was there, but not the modeling. Yet here I am. I "lived" in the synagogue when I raised my children, yet they don't go at all. Is it Legacy or Luck? Are these patterns cyclical?  I don't know, but that's something to think about this Shabbat.