Legacy

Years ago, I envisioned my legacy to be a fashion empire.  At the time, I owned a thriving accessory line (World According to Jess) and hungered for total domination of the fashion industry from press, stores, to sales.
It was empty.
It was like putting on a dress that didn't fit (funny enough after 3 kids, no dress ever truly fits until the Spanx come on)

The only thing that meant something to me was David (my husband).  One day David decided he wanted to step out of his everyday and try a new way of life.  A few clicks on the computer led him to Aish.com and 5 years later our kids are enrolled in Yeshiva.

My journey was ignited by David.  I am, to this day, astounded by his sheer passion for life.  We danced a messy waltz to religion...he steps forwards, I step backwards (you get the picture)  And somewhere along the journey back to Judiasm the legacy of fashion supremacy meant less than nothing.  It was silly. It was not the true me.  It was a great story to tell the grand-kids.

For years, I have searched my soul for what I'd call my legacy.  And here they are in front of my very face....Willow, Judah, and Zoe.  It was a life altering realization.  But being me, it was not enough.  I needed something else to put on my epitaph.

And again it was right under my nose.  Challah.  

I stumbled on this realization last week.  The lovely Bnot Shairut from Willow's kindergarten, Hodaya and Maayan asked to learn how to make challah.  We were under huge time constraints, since they were heading back to Israel, so challah had to be learned and made in a night.

Challah is not a simple recipe from a book.  It is what you make of it.  Even the dough is absolutely nothing but bread until a piece is torn off, with proper brachas, and burnt.  I offered the girls as much wisdom as I could give them in my short span of making challah.  And as they learned from me; I in turn learned from them.

In time, Willow & Zoe will learn to make challah from me, then make for their families, deliver to the people in need or with a simcha...their future homes will be covered in the aroma of challah each Shabbas.
My legacy will live on...well beyond me.


*side note, if anyone would like to make challah I am an email away guru@worldaccordingtojess.com
shabbat shalom