passover & tradition

this morning i read one of my favorite passages: exodus 11 & 12 - the passover:

"On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt." ...... "Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?' then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.' "

14:14 " the Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

the first five years of my life i lived in skokie: a little melting pot of religions and ethnicities, mostly jewish & israeli, right outside the city limits. there are vivid memories of king david's bakery, menorahs, synagog, unleavened bread, etc.

this is where my deep connection with judaism began.

i grew up very aware that judaism is the start of christianity. to disregard or disrespect the jewish religion was just as much disregarding or disrespecting my own [thank you parents for teaching me this]. my first seder meal captured my heart, my emotions, and somehow dug deep into my soul and connected with it - planted a little seed. then our family trip to israel, where we emerged in tradition, culture, and the history that the old world holds. bam! my heart is hooked. judaism, israel, the middle east... it holds a special place in my heart.

it wasn't until i got older that i realized how wonderful of a religion it is, more so it's importance. every religion or belief has truth at the core, that's the beauty of diversity - that whether i believe everything you believe or not, or vis versa, we can still learn something from each other, find something we agree on.

i love the tradition of judaism, i also love how things like keeping vigil [–noun 1. wakefulness maintained for any reason during the normal hours for sleeping. 2. a watch or a period of watchful attention maintained at night or at other times] are talked about. i love how life is celebrated, and how the solemn qualities of life are kept holy and respected.

so, i am excited for passover. though, i don't celebrate it and hold the tradition of it entirely, i believe that it is important to take note of, to celebrate and to honor. so, i will try my hardest to do so. maybe think about doing so too.