Some people doubt whether all of the festivals and celebrations are necessary and think that Judaism asks too much of its followers.
Celebrating Shabbat every week may take away the excitement and special feeling of the event as well as creating added hassle during the week. Some people question the point of Rosh Hashanah, seeing it as another New Year celebration with no great importance for strengthening the Jewish family. Having so many festivals can make the religion too intense, with too much pressure on family members to put aside their daily commitments for their faith. There are ongoing debates over Brit Milah, the ritual of circumcision. Many people believe it is dangerous and cruel to perform a clearly painful operation on a baby eight days old. People doubt the necessity of such rituals and conflicting views on such matters could cause tensions between family groups.
On the other hand there are many people that will agree it strengthens the Jewish family to share religious rituals at home. The performance of religious rituals brings the family unit together, providing them with quality time to spend with each other.
The Torah tells Jews to celebrate on these occasions and some of them are commandments or mitzvoth and failing to share them is disobeying God’s will. Through sharing in the rituals Jews are showing their dedication to the will of God; they are performing actions prescribed by him. Each of the religious rituals relates to a significant event in Jewish history and this greatly adds to their importance. Jews’ ancestors have performed the rituals for thousands of years; they link Jewish families to their origins. As these rituals are special to Jews it brings them closer to their families as they experience them. Sharing the religious rituals in their homes is a way of inviting God and their Jewish history into their house.
The Shabbat preparations provide the family with an opportunity to work together, it has been said that Judaism is ‘learnt by doing’ and children help by cleaning and tidying the house. The meal that is shared at home allows the family to spend time alone together enjoying each other’s company, with nobody rushing off to do other things. Jews can also share this meal with guests strengthening the ties between individual families and ensuring no one is alone at this important time. The woman have the privilege of welcoming Shabbat into her home inspiring a sense of responsibility to her family and to God. The Jewish studies, which take place on Shabbat morning, bring children and parents close together strengthening their family bond.
However, it is also important for individual families to visit the Synagogue during these holy times, meeting with Jewish friends and sharing religious experiences. The Synagogue provides a place for the larger Jewish community to congregate, celebrating in their faith as a larger family and providing one another with spiritual strength and encouragement. A sense of brotherhood can be seen between Jewish men as they study the torah together at the synagogue and grow together spiritually.
Brit Milah is an important ritual as it brings the boy into a covenant with God, which they will be a part of for the rest of their lives. The family plays an important role in the rite of passage. These rituals allow Jews to feel a real sense of belonging within their religious community, making them feel a part of the worldwide Jewish family. After their Bar Mitzvah Jewish boys may read from the Torah, this ritual reading of the Torah links Jewish boys across time and space and is considered a real privilege. Bat Mitzvah is a girl’s passage to womanhood, once she is a woman she becomes responsible for observing the commandments. This is an important responsibility because in the future the woman will need to play a part in teaching her own children about Judaism and the rituals that must be performed.
It appears highly probable that these rituals do strengthen Jewish families both within their faith, and amongst each other.
Personally, I think that it does strengthen individual Jewish families to share religious rituals in the home, although the synagogue is also important for strengthening the larger Jewish family. I can understand why some people would question the value of these rituals for the family unit if they were not Jewish but I think the memories of sharing these special events with loved ones will be with a Jew throughout their whole life. I therefore think that a Jew would agree with this statement, viewing the performance of religious rituals as bringing their individual families together and the Jewish community together as a whole.
