Growing up
as a Jew in America, Christmas was a strange time for me. All my friends were Christians who happily
celebrated Christmas. It seemed to be a
wonderful holiday. People exchanged
gifts. People were nicer to each other
than at any other time of the year.
Christmas was part of the culture of my country. Bing Crosby sang, “I’m Dreaming of a White
Christmas.” There were movies about
Christmas like “It Was a Wonderful Life,” with James Stewart and “A Miracle on Thirty-Fourth Street,” with Maureen O’Hara. It was a federal holiday (a day off from
school) in a country that ascribed to the separation of church and state.
However, at the
house where I grew up, Christmas was forbidden.
No Christmas presents. No
Christmas tree. Santa Claus didn’t exist. We were Jews who didn’t recognize that the
birth of the baby Jesus had led, according to Christians, to the arrival of the
Messiah. I was taught to be always on
guard to avoid being tricked into converting to Christianity. The conflict between inside and outside of my
house confused me. In those days, there
was an added problem as our public school engaged in Christmas rituals. I remember singing the Christmas Carol, “Silent Night, Holy Night,” along with my
classmates.
After my bar
mitzvah in 1958, I became less and less of an observant Jew. I was
especially mortified when I read the Old Testament story of how God asked
Abraham, the first Jew, to kill his son, Isaac.
It was a test of how devoted Abraham was to God, who thankfully stopped
Abraham at the last second. After all,
it was only a test. I hate to say out
loud what I would have said to someone who asked me to kill my son as a test of
my faith in God. However, I did make
sure that my children received at least a minimal Jewish education, my son a
circumcision, and both had a bar/bat mitzvah.
I also became less and less a believer in the existence of God. As Voltaire said, “If God didn’t exist, it would be necessary to invent him.”
From a study
of religion, I have sensed a difference between the God of the Old Testament and
the God of the New Testament of the Bible.
The God of the Old seemed to be of fire and brimstone, full of
fury. When the Hebrews arrived in Israel
forty years after fleeing Egypt, there were people already there, the Canaanites. The God of the Old Testament ordered that the
Jews should eliminate, by the sword, every living thing within the walled city
of Jericho. These Canaanites had not
attempted any armed aggression against the Jews. What did they do to deserve this violent
death? Unfortunately for them, they were
occupying land God had promised to the Jewish people.
The God of
the New Testament seemed to be more about love.
Love thy neighbor. Love thy
enemy. Turn the other cheek. My favorite quote is from John 8:7, “Let him who is without sin among you be the
first to throw a stone.” I love that
message.
This coming
Friday, December 25, millions around the world will celebrate Christmas. To one and all, especially my wife, Cristina,
Merry Christmas and Feliz Natal.
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