100 years is nothing to sneeze at

L’DOR VADOR NAGID GODLECHA – “To all generations we will declare Your greatness, and for all eternity proclaim Your holiness. Your praise, O God, shall never depart from our lips.”

From the liturgy, we get this great tagline – l’dor vador (“from generation to generation”) which has become widely used in Jewish circles to designate, describe, and even define the significance of transmitting tradition from one generation to the next. It’s been used to underscore fundraising efforts; to speak of creating programmatic and institutional legacies; and yes, this phrase is even employed to assuage the guilt of disinterested adults who feel they are “forced” to expend time and energy providing Jewish experience for their children in order to please or appease their aging parents (ugh, this is certainly a challenge in our society).

I feel the best claim of this term (and this concept) is when we simply appreciate the magic of the stories that older people share with their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. And yes, in today’s world, when so many of us have faced our loved ones being saddled with various degrees of dementia, how precious it is for us to embrace and cherish the stories that are able to be handed down.

So here’s a great one, in my eyes: this week, we were up in Minneapolis visiting Deb’s family. One of the highlights, of course, is spending time with her grandmother, who will turn 100 (!) this coming September. Our children, who are now 11 and 8, have a wonderful relationship with their great-grandmother (whom they affectionately call G.G. Leah). We were going out to dinner a few nights ago, and as is usually the case, we end up asking her questions about her childhood, and the days before any of us (including my in-laws) were born. Jim, my father-in-law, asked “mom, what about silent movies?” To which she responded “oh, I remember going to see Birth of a Nation…”

BIRTH OF A NATION?!?!?! I said to myself, as my jaw hit the floor of the van. Yes, Birth of a Nation, the D.W. Griffith classic from 1915, one of the first feature-length films, which was heralded in its time (and ever since) for innovations in cinematography. (Oh, let me repeat – 1915!!!).

Wow – as Grandma Leah continued telling of her early movie-going experiences, I could only sit back and reflect “this lady’s seen it all.” She’s witnessed the emergence of the automobile as central to our society; airline flight; radio and TV; all the various wars and conflicts of our time; the great achievements in science, technology and culture; and the struggles regarding child labor, education, civil rights, the women’s movement and more. And this is without even mentioning the revolution brought to us through computers and the internet. I hope the kids were listening, even somewhat as interested as I was.

It really is a gift to hear such stories. When we listen and learn from them, these accounts become part of our story – it’s as if we can extend our own lifetime back into them, and even such things that we didn’t know or see personally enrich us as well. For Grandma Leah, though her birthday is a few month away: ad me'ah v'esrim - may you be strong at least to 120!

So next time your favorite (fill in the blank with that older relative who loves to talk) starts up with one of those time-worn tales, sit back, listen and enjoy. You too will be blessed, l’dor vador, from one generation to the next.

Got a great anecdote from an older relative? Please share, we’d love to hear.