It is no surprise that Jews are big proponents of tracking our genealogy—and finding real mysteries there. The Torah practically starts with a roundup of names, tracking the history of the world through Adam and Eve’s descendants and then at the end of Bereishit lists the 70 descendants of Yaakov. For Jews, tracking ancestors was long a critical feature of our society—though the Torah barely delves into the actual grandparent-grandchild relationships. Even today, knowing the lineage of figures from our texts is seen as worthwhile—I’d bet the vast majority of readers can fairly instantly name the great-grandfather of Mordechai.

But all the years of exile, massacres and wandering, as well as the perils of modern distractions, have led to people losing touch with their own recent history. Last week I got to see my own experience with my family’s past up close. In PBS’ “Finding Your Roots,” host Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. interviewed actress Debra Messing, my second cousin once removed. My extended family was excited, with my mother so interested that she was afraid to travel to Florida in case she missed it.

The show was fascinating—and my mother was thrilled to hear a prominent mention of her Bubbie, who came alone to the country in 1913 at age 16—though not for any revelations. My family has been on the search for our roots for decades; my brother, a few cousins and I have been tracing the recent story for years. The show did not reveal new information, except that PBS’ researchers do not seem to know that writing the honorific Resh for “Reb” on a gravestone does not mean that the person is necessarily a rabbi.

But the show reminded me that we’ve discovered that Debra Messing is not the only famous person in my family. A former congressman, a fashion model, one of the “fathers of rheumatology” and a baron in the U.K. House of Lords are all on my not-that-distant family tree. I’m sure this is the case with everyone. And my family tree, as far as we know, only goes back a relatively short distance. There are a few names that may go to the late 1700s, but effectively, our knowledge starts after the American Civil War—less than 175 years.

As a rabbi, it is probably not a surprise that my interest is less with modern celebrities or political figures, but with rabbinic leaders and thinkers. Unlike my brother-in-law Warren, a direct descendant of the great Rav Yaacov Emden and the Chacham Tzvi, there do not appear to be any famous religious leaders on this short root, but it does lead to a question: Am I related to Rashi?

Thanks to DNA testing and mathematical modeling, there have been studies that show just how interrelated Jews are. Worldwide Jewry was a small fraction of its current size at the start of the 17th century—with estimates of only 1 million Jews after such disasters as the Inquisition, the Black Plague and countless ensuing massacres. The result is that Jews have a tighter web of historical connections. A Technion study noted that DNA evidence shows that 40% of Ashkenazi Jews (and no non-Ashkenazi Jew) can trace their ancestry to four women.

Others have gone further, suggesting that basically all Ashkenazi Jews trace their descent back to the 1100s and arguably the single greatest European rabbi, Rashi. Looking at the extensive debates on the subject, it is hard to say how true this is. Rashi famously had no sons but three daughters, and his sons-in-laws and grandchildren were the leading rabbis of the day, whose work as Tosaftists live on in our own study. No need for Ruach HaKodesh to see that they would be sought after marriage prospects.

From here, we can see the lists of the famous dynastic rabbinic names that have spread across European Judaism. And yes, almost none of them are in my family tree—the exceptions are some great-great grandmothers with the famous priestly names of Cohen and Katz (short for Cohen Tzedek), which again, probably everybody has.

The wider world also has these types of discussions, with questions of whether huge portions of the population can trace their ancestry back to Genghis Khan or Charlemagne. Even Rashi himself is subject to a similar debate, as there are claims that he descends from the kingly Davidic line, with a stop through Rav Gamliel; Rashi himself apparently did not make such a claim. Perhaps it makes sense to follow his lead.

I’m not sure how much this matters. There are plenty of question marks in the past. Moshe Rabbeinu’s most noteworthy descendant is an embarrassing enough figure that the Torah internationally hides his name. And, while we’re descended from Yaakov, we also can boast Lavan HaAmrami right there as well.

Perhaps it’s best to stick with the closer, more certain history to brag about. My

great-grandmother Golda did not write anything of note and never got out of the low-income housing of the Lower East Side. But 10 years after she came to America, the Ellis Island records show that she and her husband apparently paid for her parents and siblings, including Debra Messing’s 9-year old grandfather, to come to America, less than a year before the 1924 Immigration Act closed the country’s doors. That’s certainly enough of an achievement to be proud of.

Rabbi Marc Spivak is the spiritual leader of Congregation Ohr Torah in West Orange.