Psalm 128 is one of the shortest of the 150 Psalms written by King David over three thousand years ago. It concludes with the following verse: “The Lord shall bless you from Zion; may you see the welfare of Jerusalem all the days of your life; may you live to see your children’s children. Peace be on Israel!” This Psalm has always been fascinating and intriguing as to the obvious connection between becoming a “zaydeh” (grandfather) and Jerusalem.
During the Passover Seder, we recite each and every year those immortal words, L’Shanah Ha’ba-ah B’Yerushalaim,” next year in Jerusalem. One of the reasons given is that the Jew yearns to reconnect with the Almighty and rebuild the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, thus creating a world that will be filled with peace and tranquility. The center of the Jewish world is Jerusalem. So too, the center of the familial world are one’s grandchildren. When one is blessed with grandchildren, only then is there a projection of the values that are held so dear to us for many generations.
There is a well known joke of why people have grandchildren? The answer is to get even with their children! All joking aside, the real reason why people are so delighted with having grandchildren is that it affords them the opportunity to project themselves into the future. No one wants to be forgotten. Most often, certainly in Ashkenazic circles, children are named after those who are deceased. In doing so, we catapult not only the memories of those who have departed us physically, we enshrine their values in our hearts and minds, both Jewish and patriotic. Just as Jerusalem, is the eternal Capital of the Jewish people, so too are the memories of our ancestors forever with us. Therein, do we witness the connection between Jerusalem and grandparenthood.
This blessing was not fully appreciated until my first grandchild was born and a friend of mine in the synagogue blurted out, “welcome to the Club.” It is truly a unique society of Bubbas and Zaydes (grandmothers and grandfathers) and the nachas (satisfaction and honor) that we witness on a daily basis is truly beyond description.
May you all merit to witness and enjoy your children’s children. May we all merit the expeditious coming of the Messianic era that will herald true and everlasting peace for Jerusalem, the Jewish people and all of humankind, Amen.
Zi gezunt!