What Will They Say At Your Eulogy?
The very first verse in parshas Noach says, “These are the children of Noach.
Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations – Noach walked with
G-d. Noach had three sons – Shem, Cham, and Yefes.” The question arises:
Since the parsha begins by saying, “These are the children of Noach,” why
doesn’t it immediately follow with the names of Noach’s three sons? Instead,
the Torah first interrupts to give a short biography of what a great man
Noach was, and only then does it mention his sons. Why?
The answer, says Rashi, is to teach you that the main and true offspring
of a person is their good deeds, not their biological children. You cannot
necessarily control how your children will turn out, but you can control
how you will turn out, and that’s our main job in this world; to become
the best human beings that we can be through the lens of our holy Torah.
Not the best doctors, accountants, or lawyers. The best husbands, fathers,
wives, and mothers. To be generous, kind, and sensitive. In other words, to
live your life to be great eulogy material, because that’s what they will say
about you after you are gone. And that’s what will define you when you are
alive.
Wishing you an inspiring Shabbos,
Rabbi Moshe Gruenstein