Living My Jewish Life

When I was younger, I remember my brother's bar mitzvah, family Seder at my great-Aunt's house, and Chanukah celebrations.  When I was 11, we moved from New York to Los Angeles.  At the time, I was so excited, I thought I was moving to Disneyland.  Once we moved, our Jewish life was expressed in more cultural activities than in religious life.  

Now, 40 years later, I am a Jewish communal professional, my kids go to day school, my husband works at the same day school, I am the co-President of the Jewish Communal Professionals of Southern California, I found my spirituality at my synagogue thorough meditation and Torah study, I am on the board of my shul and I serve on several committees.  And my Jewish journey continues.  

Last night, at our friends' Seder, despite my lack of Hebrew, I participated, I read, I spoke and I learned.  It doesn't matter that I don't speak Hebrew, I loved my place at the table.

Tonight, at a family dinner without a Seder, I found that I was equally grateful for the spirit of the holiday in which my family celebrates.  It may not be religious, it may not include prayers, but we were together, and we enjoyed our time together.  

Passover 2015 is well on its way to being a great spiritual experience.  When asked last night, "From what do I want to be liberated?"  It took a few minutes, but I then responded, "I want to be liberated from the extra noise in my head."  This year, I made the commitment to myself to learn about counting the Omer.  What the next few weeks will bring is unknown, but I continue on the journey to live my Jewish life.