I will confess to a sincere awe regarding the age of the Jewish nation, and the tightness of the thread of continuity evidenced in the traditions.
In response, I would like to share Rabbi Baitelman's remarks when he introduced Leon Leyson earlier this year.
I read Rabbi Baitelman's words twice. They are profound. One of his points was this:
ReplyDeleteJust as it is with the individual, so it is with a nation. A nation has a strong identity as long as it remembers where it came from, who its ancestors were, and what they stood for.
How very true. Thank you for sharing this, Fay.
He was a very engaging speaker lady red and he set the tone for the rest of the evening perfectly.
ReplyDeleteI too thought those words you highlighted are particularly true, especially in the modern day west (UK & USA in particular).
Fay, thanks for posting this - fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI don't pull this out very often, (because it, and about four dollars, will get me a latte at starbucks - i.e. it don't much matter) but thanks to some genealogical work by my late uncle, I can trace ancestry back to the Mayflower (patriarchal line goes back to some newbies who arrived on another boat about 18 years later).
I'm sorry to say I'd flunk Rabbi Baitelman's quiz - even though with my ancestry I should remember better than most...
...though I do recall something about the bread that was eaten on the boats.
I believe it was called hardtack, and it often had worms. (A fact duly passed on with mischievous delight from elder to child in each generation).
Perhaps that's why we (Puritans) picked a happier tradition to preserve (Thanksgiving feast).
I had the good fortune to visit Plymoth Plantation with my (Jewish) room-mate from college and his two young sons a couple years ago, and they were quite thrilled to be able to experience the re-created realities of a different exodus.
You are very welcome lewy and thanks for sharing your story. I think it matters very much to know where and who you came from.
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