The image we were given was wrong.
We often speak about Jewish continuity as a chain of generations, one link after the next, passing the story forward.
It is a beautiful image.
But this week’s parasha, Tetzaveh, offers a completely different model.
When the Torah describes the breastplate of the High Priest, the Kohen Gadol, it tells us that it is held by:
שַׁרְשְׁרֹת זָהָב chains of gold
but they are not simple link
They are braided work מַעֲשֵׂה עֲבֹת.
Not separate.
Interwoven.
Stronger because they are connected.
This is a radically different model of legacy!
Grandparents are not the “earlier link.”
Grandchildren are not the “next link.”
We are strands in a braid; past, present, and future holding each other right now.
And these braids were not simply decorative.
They held the choshen on the heart, the place of identity, belonging, and memory.
This is your role.
Not to stand behind your family.
But to help hold the heart in place.
There is one more layer.
The word sharsheret (chain) echoes shoresh (root).
Because the work of a grandparent is not only to pass things down.
It is to root a family:
to give stability
to create depth
to nourish identity
to make connection strong enough to hold something holy.
This week, three reflections to try:
- Notice the difference. Where do you feel like a 'seperate link' in your family? Where are you already woven in?
-
Strengthen one strand. Choose one small action that increases interweaving:
- a shared story
- a regular call
- a family ritual
- a quiet moment of presence
- Name your root gift. Ask yourself: What do my grandchildren receive from me that helps root them in who they are? Write it down. That is your unique role in the braid.
We are not building a chain.
We are weaving a living legacy.
And it is strong enough to hold the heart of our people.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbanit Sharona Hassan
Founder of Grand Plan
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