Family Bones

Ancestry.com sends me an email when there is new information to be reviewed relating to my family.  Most of it is irrelevant. Once in a while there is a document with helpful information, and the bones of my family surface.

Recently, I explored my maternal grandfather’s life. I found the name and address of the orphanage where my grandfather grew up in Pittsburgh.  The orphanage records also gave me the names of my great-grandparents, his parents.

My most recent discovery was about his discharge from the Army.  I remembered him telling me that he was bald because of the mustard gas on the battlefield in France during World War I.  While I am not sure about the cause of his baldness, his discharge record proved that he fought in France.

This story of abandonment and then service to our country is a legacy to carry forward.  I want my children and grandchildren to know about the hardship our ancestors endured and the contributions they made.

The discovery of these details seems to me to be my grandfather calling out to be remembered.

In Torah, Exodus 13:20 we read “And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph, who had exacted an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will be sure to take notice of you: then you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”  In the crush of the exodus, Moses kept an oath made by his ancestors to carry forward Joseph’s bones. Certainly, the promise was exacted because Joseph wanted his remains to be carried back to Canaan.

The story reminds us that reclaiming legacy is a Jewish value. Legacy offers perspective and, subsequently, appreciation. Reflecting on my grandfather’s hardship as an orphan and his service in the army, I better appreciate the sacrifices made so that I could enjoy a more comfortable life and the continuing love of family.

Until writing this, I thought of Ancestry.com as a sort of family trivia game.  Now I understand it as a holy endeavor, keeping an oath to the past to carry up the bones of our family.

R’ Evan J. Krame