Joy in the Festivals

Festivals make us happy; they give us the warmth of being together with our loved ones, of knowing that we belong to a unit — the family, the tribe, the community, a people — having the same feelings, the same beliefs, the same history; of knowing that we shall have the same rituals, the same foods, the same songs, which give life another savour. Ritual reminds us of certain events that give us the tasty flavour of life: the anniversaries of our wedding, our Bar/Bat Mitzvah, the candles of Hanukkah or the shofar of the New Year. In general the celebration is done with soul and heart, not with flattery, to show that this celebration has great importance, and this importance makes us remember every year this day or moment so special... Let us not forget that one of the benefits we have from celebrating the festivals is the unification of the family, and the family is the joy of every human life.

Everyday life is not always certain. It is full of anxieties and doubts. Knowing that we have to read the Haggadah, hear the voice of the shofar, light the hanukkiah, prepare the meal for the family, fills our hearts and gives a meaning to the day. The traditions of the festivals are full of rituals. It is well proven that rituals lower anxiety, because anxiety harms human life. Also singing, saying 'Le Hayim' with a little glass of wine, gives us joy. Of course all this can be done the whole year round; but doing it during the festivals, on special days, has another value. No festival celebration can be complete without a meal of dishes prepared with grace. From the day man hunted the animal and roasted it on the fire, cooking has always been the very characteristic thing of man.

Scientists always wanted to know how man became human, how the brain became what it is today, and they saw that the primordial thing was the way of cooking. Professor Richard Wrangham, in his book 'Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human', says that if man ate only raw food we would not be what we are today. The brain would be less developed and we would be much more primitive. And it was this, says Prof. Wrangham, that caused the division of labour between man and woman, leaving to the woman the role of cooking while the man was busy hunting. Comparing with the primates, we see that they hunt together. And this too was one of the reasons the family became patriarchal. Even so, today the most famous chefs are men.

The hours we spend cooking the festival dishes, preparing the meal, sitting at the table to eat, are part of the characteristics of a home, of a family, of the atmosphere of family company. Sharing a festival meal symbolizes the community, brings the whole family together around the table, and eases conversation and the union of its members. Apart from each festival having its special food, each festival has its special ritual. One important thing about festival meals is that this ritual reinforces the relations among the members of the family, makes us feel that we belong to this community, makes for a perfect harmony in the family. Even if they do not agree — father and son, or father-in-law and son-in-law — about politics or the economy of the country, these moderate debates serve and help greatly the union of the family. In 2020 we celebrated all the festivals all alone, in front of the television or looking at Zoom to be virtually accompanied. Today, thanks to God, everything has changed and everything is again taking place just as we dreamed. Dreaming and hoping gives us the strength to pass the new year, taking all precautions with patience and good sense.