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Rituals

Last week I was talking to some friends, and the topic of traditions came up.  Family traditions, and rituals.  I was asked, essentially, what family traditions we had when I was growing up.

And I came up blank.

Well, not completely blank.  We did go for Chinese food with the whole family on Sunday nights.  Some Sunday nights.  Certainly not ritualistically. 

And then I thought about my life now.  How I'm hesitant to embrace something that's ritualistic, often feeling like it becomes a burden.  I had never made this connection before, but it was a bit of a revelation for me.

Of Traditions, Old & New

Do you have family traditions?  Those centered around holiday celebrations, perhaps, or things you did with your family as a child?  Was there a special dinner you always ate on your birthday, or a special sweater you always wear on valentine's day, perhaps?

Growing up, we didn't have that many traditions.  Not so many rituals, really.  We celebrated the Jewish holidays at my grandparents.  We went to synagogue only twice a year. Birthdays were nice, but never anything major, and there was certainly no ritual attached to them.

Preparing for company...Kosher style

This week starts my preparation for the upcoming holiday of Passover.  This holiday is one that is celebrated by most Jews, at least in some form, and has been experienced by many non-Jews as the holiday where their Jewish friend eats that funny flat cracker, also known as Matzah.

Passover is a holiday of freedom celebrating the Jews escape from slavery. It’s quite a nice story, actually. To commemorate this event in our history, we spend 8 days avoiding all leavening. This means that instead of bread and other risen goods, we eat matzah, a flat, unleavened bread – like a cracker.

And on the eighth day, it was over.

Chanukah oh Chanukah
...come light the menorah...
Let's have a party...
...we'll all dance the hora...
Gather round the table, we'll give you a treat...
Sevivon to play with, and latkes to eat!

It's about tradition. Making new traditions, keeping old traditions.

Happy Thanksgiving

When you read this, most likely, I will be sitting at Thanksgiving dinner.  Yes, I'm Canadian, and yes, our thanksgiving was over a month ago.  But I will be partaking in a longstanding American ritual. In Canada, we never really celebrate thanksgiving.  I mean, it's dinner, but it does not hold the significance that it does in the United States.  I think, here in Canada, there's a feeling that thanksgiving is not a "Jewish" holiday, and so, for those of us that are Jewish, it doesn't really count.  It's like Christmas - an extra day off without the pressure.  In fact, when I asked my husband about it, he told me that they never celebrated Thanksgiving when he was growing up, that it was a Christian holiday.  To say I was surprised is putting it mildly.

The Festival that shall not be named

Before I became a teacher, I had no idea that Halloween could be so controversial.  My first experience with the potential controversy occurred the first year I taught, at a somewhat alternative K-12 school. 

We had a young boy there, in first grade, who was the son of a local Reform rabbi.  When Halloween came around, this little boy was not permitted to take part in the classroom festivities, and ended up spending the afternoon in the office.

Private or Public?

I have a problem.  It's not Earth shattering, and it isn't a life or death decision.  Nonetheless, it's been weighing on me for a while.  I have to decide where my oldest boy is going to go to school next year.  He'll be in Junior kindergarten, and, I have to determine his future. 

Will he go to the local public school?  Will he go to the almost local public school?  Will he go to private school?  Which private school will he attend?  Will it be a faith based school, or not?

Happy New Year!

I always thought having the new year in the fall made much more sense.  As a student and/or a teacher for most of my life, the fall brings a new school year.  New pencils and books, new classrooms, new students.  A fresh start.  The Jewish new year, Rosh Hashahah, has just passed, and this year it is more significant to me then ever.

My oldest son, at not quite 3 years old is at an age where he wants to learn, and explore.  This is the perfect time to start teaching him about his heritage, and the traditions that go along with it.

Mamaleh

Toronto is a melting pot of cultures and religions, each with their own rich traditions and history. As an egalitarian Jewish mom of 2 boys, I endeavour to teach them about our own traditions. In our secular world, this presents lots of challenges. This column will address these challenges, including suggestions and ways to integrate some of our traditions for learning, both in and out of school, for members of all faiths.