The other day, in the midst of the Passover week, my 6-year old son asked me, "What story does Rosh Hashanah celebrate?" As I started talking about how Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the Jewish New Year, and we start to think about our sins, blow the shofar, and eat apples and honey, he stops me. "No, Mom. What STORY does it tell?"I thought for a moment and realized that the last three major Jewish holidays were spent in remembrance. (It's been on my mind a lot. Apparently on my kids' minds, too!)
During Passover, we remember the departure from Egypt with a Seder and eating matzah all week. For Purim, we remember the story of the deliverance of the Jews from the hand of evil Haman by eating Hamantashen, acting out the story, and wearing costumes. On Hanukkah, we remember the miracle of the temple lights, and the victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks who had invaded the Temple. Shabbat is a remembrance of the memorial of creation and another remembrance of the departure from Egypt.
We remember many stories during the Jewish year. My son was right to wonder which story we tell at Rosh Hashanah.
You can read the rest in my post at the Messianic Times Lifestyle section.
No comments:
Post a Comment