What Does Judaism Mean to You?

Posted on 11/10/2015 by Rivkah Lambert Adler in Beliefs and Practices

Sarah Tuttle-Singer is a Jewish writer whose talent I admire very much. I haven’t yet met her in real life. Our relationship has been conducted exclusively on Facebook. I often disagree with her, but I never stop applauding the magic she creates when she combines words.

A few days ago, she published a piece call My Judaism is a Wild Dance for the Times of Israel, where she works as an editor. This excerpt will help you see what enchanted me.

“My Judaism is a wild dance, red wine on my lips, Uncle Robert on guitar, and Aunt Caren on tambourine. My Judaism is my father bellowing the wrong words in Hebrew because he chose our tribe when my mom chose him, and he’s still learning, and he will never give up.”

The next day, my fingers itched to write about #MyJudaism, which looks different than Sarah’s, so I wrote this and posted it on Facebook, tipping my hat to Sarah, who inspired me.

#‎MyJudaism is singing with my husband’s Friday night kiddush because every single person who makes kiddush has a different tune and I like his best of all. My Judaism is the idiosyncratic ways we sing bentsching and make havdalah and the handwashing song we made up as a family when our kids were young that they find humiliating now but is still so sweet in my ear. My Judaism is my hands kneading challah dough in my kitchen in Israel because I dreamed of that for so many years before we could come and also the motzei that I make on the challah that I made, no matter who sits at our Shabbat table because we looked it up and I can. My Judaism is bentching my children on Friday nights when they are with us because they are with us so rarely now that they are grown.

My Judaism is the words of Tehillim that are worn into grooves in my brain because I am friends with many chapters in Tehillim, which is really surprising considering how I mostly avoid the siddur and definitely avoid shul whenever possible, even though my husband is the kind of rabbi who worked in shuls before we made aliyah. My Judaism is picturing every doorway of my home when I say Shema in bed at night. My Judaism isn’t shy AT ALL about alerting others that something - a prayer, a mechitza, a comment, a seating arrangement, an opinion - slights women. My Judaism is teaching others something I learned that I find fascinating and I want someone else to find it fascinating as well. My Judaism is giving charity because I really believe that’s what God wants me to do and my Judaism is not being shy about asking the people who come to my door asking for money to pray for the people I love. My Judaism is studying a chapter of Tanach a day, knowing it will take years to finish. My Judaism is books and books and books, on every surface.

My Judaism is the view into Jerusalem from the back porch of my apartment in the portion of land that was given to the Tribe of Yehuda. My Judaism is emunah and more emunah and gratitude always because that’s how I feel closest to God. My Judaism is crying from joy and crying from the privilege of living in the Land of Israel. My Judaism is working to soften my rough edges so I am better and kinder today than I was yesterday. My Judaism is the song of Jerusalem, the music of saying Yerushalayim. My Judaism is craving awareness of God, always and always. My Judaism is the tingle of the breath of Moshiach constantly on the back of my neck because I really really really believe he’s that close.

Truthfully, I thought I was kind of ripping off Sarah’s idea, which is why, when I posted it on Facebook, I made sure to tag her.

Through the magic of social media, I found out this morning, that IT'S REALLY, ACTUALLY, A THING.

Beit Hatfutsot, the Museum of the Jewish People, located on the campus of Tel Aviv University, just launched a campaign to get Jews from around the world to write about their experience of Judaism. Anna Hecht, the social media manager at Beit Hatfutsot says, “We want to know what Judaism means to YOU. Send your version and a photo to annah@bh.org.il to be shared on our Facebook page.”

So now it’s your turn to define your own Judaism. Use the tag #MyJudaism and let your own Jewish heart and soul speak.

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