Jewish Continuity
August 16, 2011
A friend recently told me how much Jewish culture means to him, and how proudly he identifies with Jewish history. He also said that Jewish religion and its practice has no meaning. Like many Reform Jews, he has a strong sense of belonging but is uncomfortable with worship and the traditional notion of God. Were it not for his wife, he said, he probably would leave the Temple.
I understand the sentiment. Many members come into the Temple building infrequently and participate only occasionally in ritual and Jewish education, even at home. Yet, we expect our children and grandchildren will inherit our love of Jewish culture simply because we feel it so strongly. Perhaps. But those who think that just because they feel that connection their children will feel it too are kidding themselves.
Children don’t learn from what you feel or even what you say. They learn from what you do. Love is made visible through action, not attitude or emotion.
The culture that we treasure has grown out of the religion. Without religion at its core Jewish culture has no center.
If we care about sustaining Jewish culture, there need to be structures, learning and repetition. Chanukah candles in December a Seder at Pesach are good, but they are not enough to make your children and grandchildren feel connected to Judaism.
The task for those who care about sustaining Jewish culture in the world could not be more clear. Reform Judaism allows each of us a certain breadth of interpretation as concerns religious practice, but the choices are not limitless. We all have the Shema. We all share in the teachings of the Torah, and the centuries of interpretation that have kept those teachings relevant in our lives.
Even if we prefer to meditate rather than repeat the words of prayer in Hebrew or English, we can still meditate in a Jewish way. In showing our children and grandchildren by our actions that the Jewish religion matters—lighting weekly Shabbat candles is the most effective simple gesture—we give them the precious gift of a Jewish pathway to creating meaning in their lives. The opposite is also true:
- If we never do anything to affirm our religious ties to Jewish history,
- If we quit the Temple as soon as the last child is Bar or Bat Mitzvah,
- If we see Judaism as fee-for-service that is only meaningful when it gives back measurable value in relation to other things we pay for,
- If we abandon the force of religion that has nurtured our people,
we make it likely that our children, or at least their children, will have no Jewish culture to which to turn.
The High Holyday season is prime time for Jewish engagement. It’s not the only time. The little, ordinary things you do regularly have the most impact. Find ways to connect with Judaism throughout the year. Show the people you love how much it means to you. Help them to love Jewish culture too.
