Friday, December 23, 2016

Christmas Minyan



Last year, I spent Christmas night at Shabbat Services. We had spent the past 24 hours with my Catholic family. Christmas Eve in one house. Christmas dinner at another. On the way home, on a warm and rainy Christmas night, we decided to take a drive through the nearby light show. We passed the local Chinese restaurant, and it was packed. We knew that there were certainly enough Jews for a  minyan. My husband mentioned that there were services at our synagogue in an hour. I said, "I'm game." My daughter said that she'd like to go to services before returning to college. Son was not as enthusiastic, but he didn't complain either. So, after listening to Christmas carols on Pandora as we viewed the light show, I said good-bye to Christmas for the year by pausing the carols at the conclusion of the song. Then we pulled into the synagogue parking lot. We were the only interfaith family in attendance, but we weren't the only family. It was a peaceful - and enjoyable way to end the holiday.

Our Rabbi's d'var was all about balance. Although my response to her question about balance focused on career and family, I just now realized how, at that very moment, I was balancing my role as an interfaith mother. At that point, with my parents gone, I was wondering why I'm still trying to walk this balance beam. I'm wondering…

During services, my son, who by no fault of his own, had a rather unique formal Jewish upbringing, sang out strong - reading either the Hebrew or having memorized the blessings. My daughter, a freshman in college, was there by choice. We had done what we set out to do.

Good Shabbos, Christmas.


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