Sunday, September 22, 2013

If It Could Be Done Wrong . . .

I wish I'd been a good example, all those years ago, but I do feel qualified to call myself an expert of what it is to be a horrible warning.  I think I've celebrated just about every religious tradition there is, while trying to celebrate something I thought was of G-d, and I was wrong.  Sadly, I juggled most of them simultaneously!  I've done everything from baking a birthday cake for Jesus on December 25, and taught my kids to do so, to finding every exotic nut on the planet to celebrate Tu B'Sh'vat.    Of course, I made prize winning Halloween costumes, no demonic ones, mind you!  I even went so far as to color the eggs after they were shelled when making "deviled eggs" for "Resurrection Sunday!"  Then there was the ever involved room mother, face painting as a buxom wench, at the school carnival with a Renaissance Festival theme, clueless as to what I was dabbling in.

If the wrong message could be sent, I've done it.  If the wrong day could be celebrated, I've done it.  If the right celebration could be observed wrong, I've done it.  If the truth could be wrapped in religious tradition, I'm sure I've experienced it, but I've been sorting for some time now, years in fact.  The non-Scriptural extras have been eliminated years ago.  Hopefully the unlearning of tradition is about completed.  True Scriptural observances, however; will be a lifetime of learning . . .

Years ago, my idea was, I knew I wasn't living right, but I tried my best to really be creative in my expression of these societal religious observances.  The religious traditions are so intertwined with only a fraction of a partial verse, I got lost, but very creative in my lack of direction.  I truly didn't know how offensive I was being to the Most High Elohim and His Son.  I've been to churches that have Santa visit after the Christmas show, and I've been to synagogue where the Rabbi shows up in costume the last Shabbat in October.  One of my daughters for years has wished folks a "Merry Chrismanukah."

I have come to realize, although some things are pagan tradition; in an agrarian society, some of the special dishes were simply made from items that were in abundance or ripe at that time.  I'm going to be so bold as to say, the advent of refrigeration and move away from agriculture, turned many of these practicalities in to just tradition.

Eggs are in abundance in the spring, thus; plentiful through the Week of Matzoh.  I still make "salad eggs" or "relish eggs" because they are delicious, but there's no dying, just a fun treat while eggs are in abundance before the hens begin brooding.  Due to eggs by the dozen, literally, I keep angel food cake on hand throughout that week.  Regardless of the number of guests, there is always angel food cake.  Now is it a tradition?  It may become one if my descendants continue it after I'm dead and gone without knowing the reason.  The reality is, it's a cake that contains no leavening and "cake" goes with special occasions in my kitchen.  The Feasts of YHWH are special occasions!  It's not a necessity, but I would hardly call it pagan heresy.

The tradition of dairy products through Shavu'ot has the same base.  The livestock have all given birth and the milk is flowing in top production.  As with eggs, refrigeration is an issue with dairy products.  I'm guessing milk was used in everything possible to prevent spoilage or waste.  Even with refrigeration, raw milk has a rapid expiration date!  Tradition?  It is now, that we are not an agrarian society . . .

As for the fall festivals.  Yes, I've had apples in my cake, the trees were loaded and they are ripe, and it's honey collection time.  I didn't dip any applies in honey this year, but I confess, I have in the past.  Moussaka is a favorite for Sukkot, and although my kids and grandkids don't like it, the aubergine is ripe and plentiful right now.  Moussaka for one is too much trouble, but I'm enjoying the aubergine, none the less through this feast.

I do not celebrate Halloween or American Thanksgiving, but when the pumpkins are ripe, I'll be making pumpkin butter and pumpkin soup.  My Granddaughter, Adeline, told me after tasting my pumpkin butter on Ritz crackers, I didn't need to make pumpkin pie any more!

It's been such a blessing to lay down so many useless traditions and rituals and to be forgiven for having ever done them!  I'm grateful for the grace our Heavenly Father extended to me through my years of presumptuous ignorance.  And I'm thankful for the truth, as well as the blessing to live an agrarian lifestyle.

To decorate evil doesn't make it good, but by that same token, it seems just as wrong to attach the heresy label to seasonal abundance.
 photo by Connie Evers

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