We can not understand Christianity without understanding Judaism. Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the disciples and followers of Jesus, were Jews. Many of the rites and Christian celebrations are influenced by Jewish celebrations.
Jewish celebrations have always been something that caught my attention. I have participated in some even, even though I am a Catholic and a Christian. A Jewish celebration that I sometimes attend (because it is public) is the "Purin", which is an open-air celebration where Jews sing Hebrew songs very joyfully, dance and drink.
My city (Recife) has a very expressive Jewish presence. This is where the first synagogue of the Americas (Kahal Zur Israel) was built, that housed the Jewish community of Pernambuco in the 17th century and to this day some Jewish celebrations are organized by the Jews in front of this synagogue in "Rua do Bom Jesus" or " Rua dos Judeus" (Jews Street), in the historical region of the city.
I've been watching a documentary on Netflix talking about Jewish celebrations these days. In it, a Jewish family is celebrating the "Pesach", the Jewish Passover. What struck me most and this is the emphasis I would like to record here is the meaning of this celebration.
"Feast of Liberation" is one of the meanings of Pesach. Pesach recalls, revives, and celebrates the liberation of the Jewish people from Egypt with the opening of the Red Sea by Moses as reported in the Bible in the book of Exodus.
One of the symbolism of this celebration (to me, it is the most beautiful) is the act of the Jews while drinking their wines, wet his fingertips on the wine and splash his drops into a saucer. This act is as if it meant the memory of those children of God (Egyptians) who died drowned in the Red Sea after the passage of the Jews.
Even though I am a Christian, it is impossible not to marvel at this act of respect and compassion of the Jews in remembering and honoring, in some way, those of their persecutors who died drowned in the Red Sea. Despite all the sufferings that have passed under the judgment of the Egyptians, they honor the souls and the memory of those who are gone.
In this small gesture there is certainly a great lesson of forgiveness given by the Jewish people to all of us.
Portuguese Version
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