Understanding Our Roots

wearing: Current Elliot shorts |  birkenstock sandals | Dior Glasses | LNA Tank

Sarah Silverman has a bit where the punchline is "planting trees in Israel". I saw her do it on a talk show, and of course went nuts for it. No one loves Jewish humor more than Jews themselves, and it's awesome how we can be so self-deprecating. Being able to make fun of oneself is hands down one of the coolest qualities a person can have, when done the right way. If not, you're just fishing for a compliment which is lame. And planting trees in Israel is such a textbook activity, that it can easily sound trite and cheesy. Like how it was on my high school teen tour since none of us took it seriously, yet there we were, "sowing the seeds of our heritage"🙄.  

However, following my mother in law's passing, it was indeed a beautiful thing to do with her grandchildren. Explaining to them the symbolism of roots, growth, planting, life, permanence. Watering things, tending to things, understanding things grow even if we don't at first see immediate results. The richness of this activity was so moving and appropriate. I wrote a special tribute to her that each grandchild took turns reciting, and we said a blessing about what it means to actually plant trees "in Israel". I designed a family logo for these trips which involves a sprouting tree. And the adults explain to the kids that our family is the unmovable trunk, anchored firmly into the ground by solid roots that only strengthen with time. Each member is a branch, a fruit, a flower. Even if a tree looks barren at certain times and seasons, it's always regenerating. It's easy to snap one branch in half, it's much harder to break a bundle of branches. We all want our children to be an unbreakable bundle of branches. This will not just happen, it requires nature and nurture. When my mother in law was dying, I had a moment of clarity where I distinctly recall feeling what an honor it is to take care of a person during their end. It's a role none of us want to play. But being somehow chosen to help God both usher people into this world, as well as see them out, is truly a divine assignment. As is keeping the memory of that person alive. And bless those seedlings and ultimately those trees for helping us continue to breathe life into where we think there is none.