"And You Shall Tell Your Son": Identity and Belonging as Shaped by the Jewish Holidays

by Yitzhak (Itzik) Peleg

Overview

In this volume, Bible Studies scholar Yitzhak (Itzik) Peleg offers an educational, values-based approach to the cycle of Jewish holidays—festivals and holy days—as found in the Jewish calendar. These special days play a dual role: they reflect a sense of identity with, and belonging to, the Jewish people, while simultaneously shaping that identity and sense of belonging. The biblical command “And you shall tell your son” (Exodus 13:8) is meant to ensure that children will become familiar with the history of their people via the experience of celebrating the holidays. It is the author’s claim, however, that this command must be preceded by another educational command: “And you shall listen to your son and your daughter.”

 The book examines the various Jewish holidays and ways in which they are celebrated, while focusing on three general topics: identity, belonging, memory. Throughout the generations, observance of the holidays has developed and changed, from time to time and place to place. These changes have enabled generations of Jews, in their various communities, to define their own Jewish identity and sense of belonging.  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781644698341
Publisher:	Academic Studies Press
Publication date:	09/06/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	204
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Yitzhak (Itzik) Peleg is professor emeritus of Bible Studies at the Gordon Academic College, Haifa, Israel. In addition to publishing numerous articles, Peleg is the author of ‘Go forth:’ the Forefathers’ Journeys in Bible Stories (Resling, 2013), and of Going Up and Going Down: A Key to Interpreting Jacob’s Dream (Bloomsbury, 2015). He has taught Bible to English-speaking students in Hebrew Union College, Institute of Religion, Jerusalem, and to English-speaking adult groups in Australia.

Nancy Rosenfeld is an emerita lecturer at Max Stern College of the Jezreel Valley, Israel. She has published numerous articles, and two books: The Human Satan in Seventeenth-Century English Literature ((Ashgate, 2008), and John Bunyan’s Imaginary Writings in Context (Routledge, 2018). Rosenfeld belongs to the Israel Translators’ Association.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Holidays as an Educational Tool throughout the Generations (Ledorotaichem): Examples

2. Holidays as Tools for Shaping Jewish Identity

3. Holidays as Building a Sense of Belonging to Our People

4. Remembrance in the Holidays as Shaping Identity and a Sense of Belonging to the Jewish People  

5. The Memory of the Holocaust as Shaping Identity and Belonging

6. Developments and Changes in the Holidays throughout the Generations and in How We Relate to Them

7. Passover as a Reflection (Mise en Abyme) of the Jewish Holidays

8. Lessons from Our Journey through the Jewish Calendar from a Child’s Overview

9. Epilogue: How Should We Celebrate Independence Day?

Bibliography

Index of the Jewish Holidays

Editorial Reviews

07/04/2022

Peleg (Going Up and Going Down), an emeritus professor of Bible studies at Gordon Academic College, Israel, studies the relationship between Jewish holidays and identity in this uneven outing. The author digs into the history behind numerous holidays and explains how they foster memory and belonging. For example, he contends that the tradition of reading the Book of Ruth on Shavuot likely began in the eighth century and promotes an inclusive vision of Judaism through its account of Ruth, a Moabite who joined the Israelites despite prohibitions against Moabites elsewhere in scripture. Peleg examines changes in how holidays are observed, noting that Rosh Hashana was a joyful celebration before the destruction of the temple changed the cultural needs of the Jewish community and transformed the holiday into a more contemplative affair. While there are some provocative ideas on how holidays might be updated for contemporary times, such as rethinking the number of fasting days and finding more opportunities to emphasize joy rather than mourning, not all are well-developed, making this more of a starting point for further discussion than a road map. Readers attuned to how Jewish holidays shape religious identity would be better off with Abigail Pogrebin’s My Jewish Year or Michael Strassfeld’s The Jewish Holidays. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly