"And You Shall Tell Your Son" : Identity and Belonging as Shaped by the Jewish Holidays

Inthis volume, Bible Studies scholar Yitzhak (Itzik) Peleg offers an educational,values-based approach to the cycle of Jewish holidays—festivals and holy days—asfound in the Jewish calendar. These special daysplay a dual role: they reflect a sense of identity with, and belonging to, theJewish people, while simultaneously shaping that identity andsense ofbelonging. The biblical command “And you shall tell your son” (Exodus 13:8) ismeant to ensure that children will become familiar with the history of theirpeople via the experience of celebrating the holidays. It is the author’sclaim, however, that this command must be preceded by another educationalcommand: “And you shall listen to your son and your daughter.”

 The book examinesthe various Jewish holidays and ways in which they are celebrated, whilefocusing on three general topics: identity, belonging, memory. Throughout thegenerations, observance of the holidays has developed and changed, from time totime and place to place. These changes have enabled generations of Jews, intheir various communities, to define their own Jewish identity and sense ofbelonging.