36 | JANUARY 4 • 2024 J
N

SPIRIT

Creating a Legacy
I 

am struck by the passage 
of time as we embark on 
a new secular year filled 
with expectation, hope and 
promise. 
Even after only completing 
one week of the new 
year, we can see that 
the hardship of life, 
government policies, 
wars and protests are 
sadly continuing. The 
legacy of these events 
will live well past this 
year.
The themes of cre-
ating and sustaining 
one’s legacy are fre-
quent in our Torah 
portion. The first cou-
ple verses of Exodus 
carry the end of Genesis with 
them, serving as the epilogue 
of the Joseph story. This is 
contrasted with the line, “And 
then there arose a new king, 
who did not know of Joseph 
and brought havoc on the 
Israelites.” 
But Joseph is not forgotten: 
In Chapter 13, we read “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.’” 
The Joseph story and its ups 
and downs reminds us that 
even in death or disappear-
ance, one must not forget their 
loved ones. The Egyptians 
forgot Joseph, but his legacy 
lived on in the Israelites. Even 
though Joseph died in Genesis, 
his story is carried through 
the entire Torah and into the 
writings of the Prophets. 
The longevity of Joseph’s 
legacy forces us to ask our-
selves: Can we, like Moses 

and Joshua, carry the bones 
of those who came before us 
and, how can we ensure our 
legacy in this world? 
I learned from working at 
a hospital that determining 
one’s legacy is one step 
forward in the dying pro-
cess. It helps to connect 
the dying to the living and 
helps one to live on in 
future generations. 
But we need not be 
dying to think about 
our legacy; surely these 
past few years have 
taught us that we should 
consistently be thinking 
about how we can live on. 
So much has been 
lost for us in these past 
few years. Reflecting on the 
pandemic, Holocaust survivor 
Toby Levy wrote in 2020, “I 
lost my childhood … Now, in 
my old age, this is shortening 
my life by a year. I don’t have 
that many years left. The way 
we have lived this year means 
I have lost many opportunities 
to lecture, to tell more people 
my story, to let them see me 
and know the Holocaust 
happened to a real person, 
who stands in front of them 
today.” 
Her words stick with me 
as we enter a new year and 
contemplate how our legacies 
will live on. 
Joseph left behind his 
legacy of having constant 
faith in God and carrying 
God’s presence with him amid 
challenging times. May we all 
have the courage to think past 
this moment to determine our 
legacies and to think about a 
better time after this one. 

Rabbi Natalie Shribman is rabbi at 

Temple Kol Ami in West Bloomfield.

TORAH PORTION

Rabbi 
Natalie 
Shribman

Parshat 

Shemot: 

Exodus 1:1-6:1; 

Isaiah 27:6-

28:13, 

29:22-23.
O

n the first night of 
Chanukah, Chabad of 
Traverse City held its 
first public menorah lighting, 
Menorah in The Square, with 
the lighting of a 9-foot meno-
rah. 
 “More than 120 people from 
all over Northern Michigan 
came together in celebration. 
This will be an annual event, 
so everyone is welcome to join 
next year,” said Chaya Shemtov, 
co-director of Chabad of 
Traverse City.
“
As God has performed mir-
acles in the past, He continues 
to perform miracles today,” she 
added. “It was announced that 
Chabad of Traverse City will be 
establishing a Chabad Jewish 
Community Center in Traverse 

City to wipe away darkness by 
increasing in light. Chabad is 
in contract and has until March 
to raise the funds for a building 
in a central location to serve 
as the Chabad JCC of Traverse 
City.” 

To donate to the building fund, visit www.

jewishtc.org.

Chabad lights its 9-foot menorah 
in Traverse City.

People celebrating Chanukah in Traverse City.

Chabad of Traverse City held its first public menorah lighting. 

faces&places

Traverse City 
Menorah Lighting