Chapter 11: K is for Kippah
"I'll let you borrow one of mine, LJ," Anthony had helped his brother try to find his kippah for tonight's first night of Chanukah. The two had looked everywhere in LJ's room to no avail.
"What is the big deal; do I really need to wear one?" Twelve year old LJ shrugged at his brother.
"Yes! Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Chanukah, and Passover are important to Ima and Jewish tradition requires the men and boys to wear a kippah for the rituals. Since it is important to Ima, it is, by extension, important to us." Anthony tried to explain to his younger brother. "The kippah is the reminder that G-d is always above us, watching and protecting us all the time. It is a way of honoring G-d for Jewish males."
LJ thought over his brother's explanation, "But we aren't practicing Jews, nor are we practicing Catholics. Do we still have to follow the traditions?"
"Our heritage is both religions. Some of the traditions are more important to Ima and Abba than others. For Ima, the four holidays that I mentioned are important, so we should honor Ima by following the traditions. We don't keep kosher all year long, but for Passover, we have the kosher foods and the traditional Seder. For Abba, the reading of the Christmas story from the Bible book of Luke is important, so we honor him each year by listening to the reading.
"For me, it is about connections to our heritage and our family. I guess it's hard to explain to someone else, but I feel that when we are saying the blessings for Chanukah or listening to the Christmas reading or going through the rituals for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, or the Passover Seder, the generations before us are also present."
"I think I understand," LJ smiled at his brother, "May I borrow one of your kippahs, please?"