Sunday, August 22, 2010

“L’dor V’dor" ... From Generation to Generation.


“L’dor V’dor.” The phrase translates as “from generation to generation,” but its implications are more complex. It is a part of Hebrew prayers and means we are not just responsible for ourselves, but we are meant to do something for others, especially for young people, to tell them the stories of ages past.

L'dor V'dor

Unto all generations, we remember.
We trace the names, shreds of books,
Faded Hebrew calligraphy on tombstones,
Marks of settlements,
Remnants to rebuild with.

In religious tradition, God writes our names in the Book of Life,
To determine our next year,
To number our days.
We may also think in another way
About the names in the Book of Life.
The Jewish people have much history to remember,
Many journeys to document, many relatives to locate,
As we have moved through the countries, empires, and epochs.

And so, we have always listed names,
From the Bible on forward,
To see where we have come from.

To know who we are, we must know where we come from.
It is our duty to mark and remember and tell.
Let us recount the stories of our ancestors and our families
We are a small part of a long journey
That we can tell to our children
To tell to theirs.

~ Phil Brown ~


"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates."
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (NIV)

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I've decided to use this pedestal I altered a couple of years ago with this piece.. I LOVE how it looks together!! Fits well, I think.


2 comments:

Terry Ray Flowers said...

this might be m favorite one to date - nice work !!!

Name: Roberta said...

Thanks Terry!!