Secrets In My Soul

ז' בכסלו תשס"ח

In my previous post regarding the legacy of my grandmother Gladys Ruth Faulkner-Collins, daughter of Elizabeth Grunwald-Faulkner and George Samuel Faulkner, and granddaughter of Sue Turner-Grunwald and Will Grunwald, I noted that my grandmother has four daughters, each daughter corresponding to one of the Jewish matriarchs - Sarah, Rivkah, Leah and Rachel.

My mother, as the third daughter of my grandmother, corresponds to the matriarch Leah. I am my mother's only daughter, just as Dinah the daughter of Leah, is Yaakov's only recorded daughter. Thus, from this perspective, my particular soul has a significant root in the soul of Dinah (as well as Ruth and Leah roots).

My grandmother, Gladys Ruth, was born in Rosebud, IL. I, containing the soul of Dinah, the only recorded daughter of Yaakov and Leah, was born in Danville, IL.

From a second perspective, both Sue and Will Grunwald were observant Jews by family oral history. There is nothing in our family oral history to suggest that Sue was not born Jewish, and both reportedly lived Jewishly. Nevertheless, let's consider that Sue may have been a convert (as opposed to a "born" Jew), and correspond Sue Grunwald to Ruth, a central name given to my grandmother Gladys.

Ruth is the great grandmother of King David and great great grandmother of King Solomon. Sue is the great grandmother of my mother Cheryl and my great great grandmother. Thus, from this perspective, my particular soul has a significant root in the soul of King Solomon (as well as Ruth, Leah and Yaakov, and Dinah). Interestingly, Solomon's name in Hebrew is a feminine form - שלמה.

Taking all this together, the dynamic relationships in my family tree suggest that my particular Jewish soul contains the soul sparks of Ruth, Leah, Yaakov, Dinah, King David and King Solomon (where Mashiach ben David represents tikkun of the nachash). Of these 6 sparks, those of Dinah and King Solomon emerge as 2 significant sparks of my own soul's Jewish particularity.

The dabak is in the details.