Billy Graham said, "The greatest legacy one can pass on to one's children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one's life, but rather a legacy of character and faith." I hope most if not all Christian parents concur. However, busyness, distractions of technology, and the pulls of worldliness are all working against us parents trying to pass on our faith to our children. I find this book quite interesting and helpful (you can tell by how many good quotes I like...see below). I always wanted to know more about the Jewish roots of our Christian faith. I enjoyed reading Generation to Generation and learning so many things about the holy observances of the Jewish year and about Judaism.
The author shares how the holy observances and traditions help Jewish parents pass down their faith from generation to generation (known as l'dor v'dor). She also explains key values that each one reinforces. The book covers Shabbat, Passover, Shavuot, Tisha B'av. High Holy Days, Sukkot, Purim, and Tzedakah. Each holiday and each tradition provide opportunities for parents to teach important lessons such as priorities, seeking knowledge, gratitude, hope, forgiveness, faith, courage, and generosity. Yael Eckstein shares her personal experiences from her childhood and her practices with her own family as a parent. She is genuine and respectful to Christianity. Each chapter starts with a Bible verse and ends with thought-provoking questions, suggestions, and ideas for parents on how to instill the Biblical value mentioned in the chapter. Each chapter also shows the connection found in the New Testament and includes memory verses (both from the Old Testament and the New Testament).
Christian parents can glean insights and ideas from this book and look for opportunities to celebrate & teach Biblical values and pass on our own stories of faith to our children and grandchildren. Observing holy days and traditions can be beneficial in sustaining people of faith through challenging times. "These observances and rituals have bonded Jewish families and communities and kept their faith alive through exiles, dispersions, inquisitions, pogroms, persecution, and yes, even the Holocaust." (p. 30) We, Christian parents, have the responsibility to pass on our faith from one generation to the next, to teach our children Biblical values and principles, and to point them to Jesus. We must daily live out our faith & conviction and talk about God constantly to our children.
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)
Check out this informative and inspiring book which will remind you to check your priorities, values, and goals as a parent or grandparent. May we take time to reflect upon God's blessings and glory and may we be more intentional in passing on our faith in Jesus Christ to the next generation so that all the future generations may be saved and become Christ's followers. It's such an important job that we cannot afford to take it lightly ever.
"The more we shine with the light of our own faith, the more we will spread the light of God--to our children, their children, and beyond." (p.31)
"While many people rest on the weekend in preparation for the workweek ahead, Judaism implores us to work during the week in order to rest on Shabbat. In the Jewish faith, the Sabbath is the endpoint, the goal, the culmination of the week. That is why there are no Hebrew names for the first six days of the week. Instead, they are known by the number of days remaining until Shabbat." (p. 39)
"Asking questions is not at odds with faith; rather, it is the means by which we deepen our faith and express our desire to know God." (p. 50)
"The Jewish fascination with questioning comes down to this: In order to serve God and become the best version of ourselves, we must constantly seek to learn and grow--and in order to learn, one must ask questions." (p. 52)
"'The Four Questions' (asked during Passover) also provide the springboard to discuss with our children the fundamental ideas of the Jewish faith found in the Exodus story--that God is with us in our suffering, that He hears our prayers, that He cares about His people, and that He intervenes in human history to bring about salvation." (p. 58)
"Each time a child asks a question, it is an opportunity for us to encourage asking questions in the future, and consequently, to inspire a lifetime of learning." (p. 61)
"On Passover, we remember that God is with us in our hard times. On Shavuot, we make sure that we do not forget God in our easier, bountiful seasons." (p. 75)
"In Hebrew, the word for gratitude is hakarat hatov, which literally means 'recognizing the good.' Thankfulness begins with awareness--awareness of what we have, of what God has done for us, and of what He continues to do for us each and every day. We can have all of the 'good' in the world, but if we are not aware of it, if we do not recognize it, we cannot appreciate it." (p. 78)
"Based on the biblical directive to praise God 'when you have eaten and are satisfied' (Deuteronomy 8:10), Jews recite a prayer of thanksgiving after every meal." (p. 81)
"Whether we have a little or a lot, where we put our focus makes the difference between feeling like we have less or feeling like we are abundantly blessed. It is my prayer that my children will be so filled with feelings of gratitude that they will be like a cup that runs over; they will simply have no room for negativity or entitlement while their grateful spirits spill onto everyone and everything that they encounter." (p. 82)
"It takes a strong person to ask for forgiveness. It requires courage and inner strength to put one's self into such a vulnerable position. It requires humility to admit doing wrong, and paradoxically, a good sense of self-worth in order to know that such an admission does not diminish one's value. Apologies are not for the weak." (p. 111)
"On Yom Kippur, we are serious about confronting our shortcomings and joyful that our God is a merciful God, a God who forgives and can completely erase our sins as though they never happened." (p. 116)
"In Judaism, there are two words that roughly express the idea of faith. One is emunah, the other is bitachon, and there is a profound difference between the two. Emunah is believing in God and that He runs the world. Bitachon is acting in accordance with that belief...In Judaism, faith is really a verb; it is something we do, not something we have. It means living our lives in a way that is congruent with our belief in God and our trust in Him." (p. 132)
"On Sukkot, we choose vulnerability. We relish the opportunity to live by the grace of God." (p. 139)
"In a world that seems to have lost its moral compass, it is imperative that we teach our children how to navigate and follow a faith-based journey through life with courage and determination." (p. 151)
"The great irony, of course, is that focusing on ourselves does not make us happier; rather it robs us of our joy...It is giving to others that truly brings us joy." (p. 171)
AUTHOR:
Yael Eckstein, is President and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, the largest provider of humanitarian aid in Israel. You can find more info about her on the book site, www.generationbook.org .
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews was founded in 1983 by Orthodox Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, whose vision for building bridges of understanding and cooperation between Christians and Jews has been translated into the largest Christian-supported humanitarian agency helping Jews in Israel and around the world. You can learn more about the organization and Rabbi Eckstein here.
GIVEAWAY:
You can enter a giveaway for a chance to win a copy of this book at https://www.blessedfreebies.com/generation-to-generation.html.
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