When someone we love passes, we offer the words Zichrono Livracha or Zichona Livracha, may his or her memory be for a blessing. The genesis of those words come from this week’s Torah portion Lech Lecha, where God tells Abram: “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you; and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
But what does it mean to be a blessing? In Abram’s case it means he would be remembered and celebrated not just in his generation but all the way to ours. Billions of humans alive today still see our patriarch as the progenitor of monotheism. If that is not being a blessing, I’m not sure what is.
However, I don’t think we need to reach such lofty heights to be a blessing. When we are remembered for the good we have done in this world we are a blessing. When the lessons we have taught others continue to reverberate, we are a blessing. When the stories about our lives continue to bring smiles to those we loved, we are a blessing. More than financial gain or life successes, being a blessing is the highest honor we can give anyone. When Abram first set out from Haran on the way to Canaan, he knew he had a long and arduous journey ahead of him. What he needed from God was not a reassurance that it would be easier than he expected, only that it would be worthwhile. As fellow travelers, may all our lives be as well. May they all be for a blessing.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex