A “Jewish” Halloween?
October 8, 2009
Like some of the other American observances that have morphed from earlier religious practices, over the years Halloween has come in for its own share of controversy among Jewish families. After all, the pagan roots of the holiday have little to do with how Jews view the world and its unseen inhabitants. Not to mention that our customary and traditional holiday day for wearing masks amid parades and revelry is, of course, the Festival of Purim. But I have always seen Halloween as, at worst, harmless (of course, I’m not a dentist!), and at best, as carrying the potential for expressing genuine Jewish values.
The origins of Halloween are pre-Christian, rooted in the Celtic Pagan year, which was divided into two halves. The first half, roughly from spring to fall, was for the world of light, and the second half was for the world of darkness. Holidays marked the transitions from each half to other. In spring, “Beltane” celebrated the spiritual beginning of light-filled summer days and the life-giving force of the sun. By contrast, “Samhain” (pronounced “sow-an”), the precursor to Halloween, fell on November 1 and represented summer’s end, winter nights, and, in general, darkness. It was seen as a bridge between two opposite worlds: the human world of light and good on one hand, and the netherworld of darkness and evil on the other. Our evening “Ma-ariv” prayer and morning “Yotzer” prayer can be understood as twice-daily rejoinders to these Pagan ideas, by stating that there is but One God, who both “fashions light and creates darkness.”
However, I have never believed that the Pagan origins of Halloween should dissuade American Jews from allowing their children to participate in what has become a purely cultural, rather than religious, celebration.
I remember when my children were little, how they would dress in their costumes (somehow always favoring Red Sox and Patriots and Celtics get-ups over the more customary ghosts and goblins). We would go to one of the local nursing homes here in Marblehead, where the staff members had prepared a Halloween path through the rooms of the residents, and while the hundreds of kids walking through got their bags filled with treats, the residents were able to delight in seeing and greeting the happy children.
There were other years when we would take kids to “Trick or Treat” at the homes of Temple members who were ill or house-bound, thereby also fulfilling the mitzvah of “bikkur holim” (visiting the sick), which brought joy to everyone involved.
Yes, there are “Jewish” ways to celebrate Halloween, and over the years, we keep finding out new and different ways to make it more meaningful. Some families collect canned goods in addition to candy while going door to door. We have often sponsored a “Share the Loot” collection for kids to share their goodies with the needy. And because the holiday is absolutely NOT religious, it allows various communities to come together for the fun, who might otherwise have limited opportunities for celebrating together. These are not only American values, but they’re Jewish as well. So although at my age, I’ll still save my own costumed revelry until Purim, I’m looking forward to seeing the neighborhood kids, many of whom, of course, are Temple members, coming to the front door ready to fill their bags to the brim.
