Locating yourself in Jewish history

The Torah describes a remarkable ceremony that was associated with the holiday of First Fruits, or Shavuot. The Jewish farmer would bring a basket containing barley, or something that is harvested in the late spring, and place it before the priest in the central place of worship. There, the Israelite would make a declaration which the rabbis also chose to feature in the Passover Haggadah:

“My father was a fugitive Aramean. He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there; but there he became a great and very populous nation.” (Deuteronomy 26:5)

The passage ends with a statement of praise and rejoicing for the blessing of the land and its bounty. No matter when we live, or whether there is a Temple or first fruits, these words locate us into the story of the Jewish people. They give us our Jewish bearings.

An American rabbi once proposed that b’nai mitzvah should stand up and recite a similar statement about their own family. For example: My great grandfather fled from the pogroms of Kishinev and came through Ellis Island, in order to make his home in New York. My grandfather left New York and moved to Chicago, met my grandmother, and lived in Douglas Park. My mother met my father in college, and they made their home on the North Side of Chicago on Lake Shore Drive. Standing here on this special day, I am grateful to G-d that my journey has brought me here.

While I am not suggesting that we add this to the responsibilities of our b’nai mitzvah , it is an interesting idea. Like the Bikurim Declaration, this personal statement locates the young person into the larger Jewish story. It encourages each child who enters Jewish adulthood to focus for a moment on their family’s Jewish journey, and celebrates the blessing of America as the country that welcomed them home.

A recent Gallup Poll revealed that only 25% of Americans were satisfied with the way things are going in America. Seventy-three percent said that they were dissatisfied with this country and 2% had no opinion. Such polling is not surprising in a country where much of the news that people are exposed to is decidedly negative. While we should always strive to make this country better for everyone, it’s easy to forget the blessing that this country represents.

November is an especially appropriate time for Jews to focus on just how special America is as we vote for a new president. The fact that we can participate fully in the Democratic process is a relatively new phenomenon for our people. For most of history, Jews were barely tolerated and could not even dream of going to the voting booth.

I can still remember my grandparents going to vote. How they would dress up and enter the polling place with such pride. Election Day was a day that they celebrated the blessing of America. They celebrated their citizenship and the promise of this country, despite the serious problems and challenges of their time. They would have been shocked to hear of the low voter turnout in recent elections.

Imagine going back in time to your family’s country of origin and meeting your relatives still there and telling them about what it is like to live in America today. The extraordinary freedoms and opportunity afforded to us here. How Jews are represented in all areas of life and can worship freely. What it is like to live in a time where there is an actual Jewish state. We would also talk about the challenges Jews face in this country, as well, with the growing antisemitism.

We would conclude our conversation by asking our relatives whether they would rather live in their time or ours. We can be confident that they would not hesitate to join us in our time and become part of the most powerful Jewish community in the history of the diaspora.

Criticism is necessary in a democracy, but gratitude and perspective are vital as well. There is much for Jews to celebrate here in America. It all begins when we locate ourselves in the Jewish story.

Rabbi Michael S. Siegel is the Senior Rabbi and the Norman Asher Rabbinic Chair of Anshe Emet Synagogue.