Does your family have traditions? Are there traditions that you have started with your children or activities that you did as a child and now you do those things with your kids?
We are a family of many traditions. I blame that fact on myself. I thrive on things staying the same and having a plan and a routine. My kids are much the same. Growing up and even still, they need to know the plan for the day. As babies, they were better when the routine was in place. Our daughter is the die hard traditionalist though. It doesn’t matter how old she is, she doesn’t like things changing.
Take Christmas decorations for example. When the kids were young, I bought a snowman Christmas countdown calendar. It’s a giant snowman and he has a pocket for every day in December. There is a small snowman and he gets moved everyday to the corresponding pocket for every day in the month. When the kids were small, they fought over and tried to take turns to move the snowman every day. These days, with 2 kids no longer living at home, that snowman countdown still better be hung up when they come in. My daughter would flip out if it wasn’t!
Traditions are important and they go much deeper than Christmas decorations and having certain foods at holiday meals. As Christians, we have gotten away from many of the traditions that are a part of Jewish culture. We Christians forget that we are and should be a part of that culture and its traditions.
This book, Generation to Generation, emphasizes the importance of the Jewish traditions and how the Jews thrive on passing those down to the next generation. Yael Eckstein really shares how the Christian can apply these Jewish biblical principles in our everyday life. I love the wisdom that she shares, but I also appreciate the scripture references that she uses to back up everything.
God set up the Jewish feasts and celebrations for a reason and just because Jesus came on the scene, we have to remember that He came to fulfill the laws, not do away with them.
One of the chapters is on Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. I really learned alot about the Jewish practices that still occur today in celebration of this holiday. I really enjoyed the explanations of faith and what we are to take away from this important week. Knowing the biblical of meanings of words, brings such life to God’s Word and Yael Eckstein does a great job of explaining and helping the reader understand.
Many have said, “we are only a generation away from…” Various saying would call out Christianity dying or even biblical literacy. But those things only happen when the generation before fails to pass down and teach. If they don’t know, it is because we didn’t teach them.
Scripture is clear. We are to teach and pass down our beliefs and traditions.
God’s Word is clear, also. We are to remember the past and reflect on it and learn from it. This has been on my heart alot lately. (click here for a related blog post)
This book is a beautiful way to introduce Jewish culture into your Christian home and pass down the traditions and find ways to teach and strengthen our future generations. Each chapter focuses on a different celebration and ends with questions and practical applications for your to share with your family. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have!
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 ESV
