How many of you grew up aware of your Jewish roots?

As I mentioned here at Jewishlifeorganized.com, not all of us grew up with fond memories of our Jewish roots. Some may have not at all been aware of them and some may have really vivid memories of cooking with our Bubby in the kitchen.

Whatever your knowledge of your Jewish roots are or were, don’t fret. Just because you may or may not have been aware of them doesn’t mean you were alone.

Read my friend Leah’s inspiring poem that she wrote just for me and my readers. I have “complained” to her before about not having fond memories of being in the kitchen and that is why I have a page on my website called “I Hate Meal Planning”.

I want to encourage those of you without those fond memories and instill inside of you a sense of belonging and togetherness with the rest of our Jewish Life Organized readers knowing that you are not alone

Preparing for Shabbos

A young woman in the soul of her home

On the surface she works alone

But what is hidden in this scheme

Strong kind hands of mothers’ past

Cutting cookies with a glass

Checking the yolk of an egg

Filled with love and faith, and heartbreak

Preparing a simple meal yet it’s a feast

Challah, cholent, fish, and gedemfte meat

Prayers woven into the braided bread

Challah is taken

a prayer is said

For her children’s neshamas

And for shalom with her husband

In their home;

A beis hamikdash where the Shechina dwells

Tears from her heart in her eyes swell

Each potato peel, each carrot slice

Each sautéed piece of meat in onions diced

Is a private offering to Hashem

For a tikun in the world to bring

And moshiach for Him to send

In the pushke she drops a coin

In so doing she is joined

By her bubbies and mother

Who came before

Not knowing what would lie in store

For their children or children’s young

They would live through pogroms

And nisht ein gedacht, the Holocaust

So many precious neshamas lost

But through years of tears and pain

A spark of faith burns again

In a humble Jewish home

With a young woman who does not work alone

But cooks in the company of her memories

And hovering neshamas of her mother and bubbies

Who prepared the gefilte fish each week

With the united and enduring wish

That Yiddishkeit would never vanquish

The reason their dream would today come to fruition

The continuation of Jewish tradition

Has one explanation; the Holy Shabbos

Judaism’s core foundation.

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