by Mark Holt
Judaism is a set of values, principles, and laws that have guided the Jewish people for thousands of years. God was very blunt: “Follow these laws and you will prosper and multiply. Turn away and you shall perish.”
But what does that really mean? How can we follow rules that were meant to govern people who lived 5,000 years ago? Jews have been asking these tough questions for their entire history. They are constantly questioning and reinterpreting the ancient laws. This has make Judaism distinctly analytical and scholarly—reinforced by the requirement to attend the house of study daily. This profound respect for learning and knowledge has, it turns out, greatly helped the Jewish people to prosper in the modern world. Was this the reason God sent us laws that were so confusing?
Jewish laws, tradition, and study provide strength for families. Family members come together for the rituals of Jewish life. Extended families, sometimes separated by thousands of miles, reunite regularly for bar and bat mitzvahs, jointly celebrating the successful raising of a child to Jewish adulthood. Judaism lives through our families.
Finally, Judaism, to me, means this congregation, Sha’are Shalom. It’s been nearly 20 years since my family showed up at G.J.’s Dance Studio for our first Sunday school. We received such a genuine welcome that I knew immediately we had found something we had been missing. Watching my son and daughter grow up in Sha’are Shalom was an experience I would never want to have missed. I hope many more fathers in the future can share this same experience.
Judaism means respecting 5,000 years of laws and traditions. It means applying them to our own lives and families in today’s world. And it means working together in a congregation of friends to pass them on to future generations.
Shabbat shalom.