I wanted to write a little bit about last night’s significance first, so the rest of my post makes sense.
On the 15th day of Jewish Calander in the month of Nissan, is the holiday Pesach (also known as Passover). This year, it fell on Monday April 18. The main purpose of this holiday originated from the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt after generations of slavery. During this holiday (it lasts for about 7 days) Jewish people do not eat grain foods (including bread, noodles, cakes, cookies, etc), which is why Matzah (unleavened bread) is popular among this time. It’s used as a replacement for all the bread we can’t have. There’s a whole story I could tell you about that I remember from Hebrew school as a child about the Jews traveling through the desert trying to escape and they didn’t have enough time to let the bread rise, which is why they have Matzah, but that’s about as in depth as I’m going to get.
Passover is one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays, in my opinion. I know Hannukah is the most culturally known, but as a Jew, I have more fond memories of this holiday. While Hannukah has its traditions, I think Passover is more family oriented. Passover is when you get together with family, friends, etc and the entire meal is devoted to this holiday. There is a sedar plate (certain foods represent different things) and you go around the table reading different prayers. I always remembered it as a time to be with my family, our family friends, and just having a nice evening together while always learning more about my religion and celebrating the freedom of my ancestors.
This brings me to the whole point of my post….
Over the years I’ve lost touch with my religion. I knew Passover was coming up, but I didn’t really think much of it. Last night, when I came home, I found this in my kitchen:
My grandmother, who lives with my family, had lit candles for Passover. All alone. While I was out shopping for a stupid desk at Ikea, my 88 year-old grandmother was in the upstairs kitchen all by herself saying her prayers and lighting her candles. There was no sedar plate for her this year. Something about seeing these almost-burned-out candles in the kitchen just broke my heart. My grandma, despite having lived in the US for the past 40 something years, does not speak English very well. She talks to my dad in Hungarian when he’s home, but other than that, her only real conversation she can have is over the phone to distant relatives across the country or overseas. I wish more than anything I could speak Hungarian fluently as to connect better with my grandma. Despite our language barriers, she is still able to be one of the funniest and most loving people I know. She is full of wisdom and always willing to share it with me. So, of all the days I choose not to come straight home after work, it had to be this day where my grandmother probably would have loved to share this holiday with someone.
These are some of the reasons I still think about my religion, try to recognize the holidays, and think about everything I’ve learned from my religious history. This is something that loses its importance over the generations. I don’t know many religious people, but I can tell you, the religious friends that I have are some of the most loyal, forgiving, and loving ones out there. I really think people need to focus more on their morals and what they are basing their actions on. For some people, it may be a religious reason, but it could be anything. It’s just something to think about.
