and he established testimony in jacob, and he set down a torah in israel, which he commanded our forefathers to make them known to their sons. in order that the last generation might know, sons who will be born should tell their sons. and they should put their hope in god, and not forget the deeds of god, and keep his commandments. and they should not be as their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, who did not prepare its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to god.
psalms 78:5-8
in the united states, people born from 1901 to 1927, have been referred to as the “greatest generation” in american history. is this true?
the generation both fought world war ii and supported the war efforts. they kept the world free and made it a safer place. while this is true, are they the generation deserving of credit? is another generation deserving of praise?
generations are not created in isolation. the parents of the past generation must be credited for raising children capable of being courageous and taking on the world. it was these parents who instilled values and created the generation of children that protected the united states from the axis powers. religious institutions, communities, and schools likewise played a role in making that generation. while the past generation, which produced the “greatest generation” was flawed in other ways, they did produce a generation worthy of admiration.
for some reason, however, this “great” generation failed. their failure was in a large part and for a variety of reasons, the inability to pass the baton of morality and values upon the next generation. we are now, in part, suffering from this failure.
each generation has an obligation to future generations to be the voice of values, morals and commandments. presently, families risk in failing with their generational obligation when they defer to outside sources to enrich their children. education systems across the country are being exposed for failing to instill values and morals. to the contrary, they are doing the opposite. likewise, social media and the internet offer information via algorithms that is not meant for promoting good values. thus, the internet, without parental guidance, is not a source of morality.
in sum, we must all appreciate that we, in part, are only as good as those who came before us. we should be thankful for those who appreciated and understood the importance and necessity of passing values to the next generation. as it is said, l’dor v’dor, from generation to generation.
be well!!
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