Of two children, the legacy of Isaac and RebeccaThe second Jewish matriarch, Isaac's wife, and mother to Jacob and Esau. Rebecca is an active parent, talking to God when she is pregnant and learning the fate of her children, then ultimately manipulating Isaac and the children to ensure Jacob's ascendancy. Her Hebrew name is Rivka. continued only through JacobLit. heel Jacob is the third patriarch, son of Isaac and Rebecca, and father to the twelve tribes of Israel. More than any of the other patriarchs, Jacob wrestles with God and evolves from a deceitful, deal-making young man to a mature, faithful partner to God. His Hebrew name is Yaakov., shedding the progeny of Esau.
Only the children of Jacob, LeahThe third of the Jewish matriarchs, Lead is the eldest of Lavan's daughters and one of the wives of Jacob. She is the daughter whom Lavan tricks Jacob into marrying instead of his younger daughter Rachel, whom Jacob has requested to marry. Leah is mother to six of the the twelve tribes and to one daughter, Dinah., and RachelLavan's younger daughter and Jacob's beloved wife second wife (after he is initially tricked into marrying her older sister, Leah). Rachel grieves throughout her life that she is barren while Leah is so fertile. Ultimately, Rachel gives birth to Joseph and dies in childbirth with Benjamin. Rachel is remembered as compassionate (she is said to still weep for her children), and infertile women often invoke Rachel as a kind of intercessor and visit her tomb on the road to Bethlehem., after engaging in a fratricidal conspiracy that transformed into mutual forgiveness and love, obtained the mantle of Jewish destiny as a united family. They were people with divergent personas and differing experiences, yet stemming from a common beginning and poised for a shared future – a future that birthed the Jewish People and granted us the privilege to claim that heritage today.
TODAY we acknowledge the cherished legacy of the Jewish People gifted to us by the generations of family that preceded us.
TODAY we pledge to advance our families’ inheritance of that legacy towards new generations.
TODAY we recognize that not only are we stronger when we act together, but that when we act alone, we belittle the blessing of family bestowed upon us, a blessing that is precious and rare and within our power to nurture or to neglect.
TODAY we who commit our names to this COVENANT OF GENERATIONS are blessed, as was the family of Leah, Rachel, and Jacob, to be one. We bring our unique souls, we bring our different life experiences, and we also bring our love and respect for one another, our openness to learning from one another, as we commit to mingling the generous gifts that God has granted to us with the talents and skills of people who will extend our trust in them and in their organizations to champion our shared vision of a blessed future for the Jewish People.
[SIGNATURES FIELD]
(The family members may wish to recite the Shehechayanu blessing).
