Your Legacy - Parshat Bamidbar

We often hear talk about legacies. A politician's legacy. A parent's legacy. Our legacy. What is a legacy? What do we leave behind for the next generation? How do we decide that?

The concept of legacy is addressed in this week's parsha - Parshat Bamidbar. In a relatively innocent statement the Torah takes a census of the people and talks about the family of Moshe as well.1 Yet, when detailing the family members, the Torah only talks about the children of his brother, Aharon, with no mention of Moshe's own kids even though it says in the Torah "these are the children of Aharon and Moshe". Rashi points this out and discusses the special relationship between teacher and student and that a good teacher is often something of a father figure to the student as well. Rabbeinu Bechayei elaborates and says further that "the students of a person are in fact his principal legacy." We find a similar discussion at the beginning of Parshat Noach where Chazal discuss whether the legacy of Noach is his children or his deeds.2

The common denominator is that something of us is left in this world even when we are no longer here.

I once worked in a senior citizens day center. In the news, one day, a wealthy woman had passed away and left a large sum of money which she earmarked for a children's park which would then be called by her name. A woman sitting in my group reacted to this report and said: "Well, of course - she's wealthy, she has what to leave. I live in a rented apartment and live off my social security check. What can I possibly leave?" It was such a powerful question and it touched off a lively discussion. Is our legacy determined or measured in terms of dollar amounts? Is there something deeper or more significant about what we leave behind?

Our legacy is determined by the things we busy ourselves with. We can determine de facto what our legacy is and so, the challenge for us is to decide what we want our legacy to be. There are many directions that legacies can take: Beethoven's legacy, Lincoln's legacy, Lombardi's legacy. It is interesting though that in each of these three examples that the legacy was always oriented to something other than one's self;3 whether through music, government or sports. Even Abraham Maslow who described self-actualization (with the emphasis on 'self')  as the highest of human needs, added in his later years that this self-actualization needs to be other-oriented, "via a commitment to an important job".4

What is important to you? Is it your garden? Your family? Your community involvement? An ability to comfort others? Friendship? A smile perhaps?

What is YOUR legacy?

 For more information or consultation in creating your own individual legacy, read here.

Notes

  1. Bamidbar 3:1-2
  2. Bereishit 6:9
  3. Viktor Frankl discusses this concept often in different books. For example, Will to Meaning p. 38.
  4. Human Motivation

 

Have A Great Shabbat!laughing

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