Our Online Library: High Holiday Sermons and Creative Liturgy

Rosh Hashana 5768- 2007: Zichronot
by Marya Friedman
 

Many rituals are passed down from generation to generation, L’dor va‘dor.  It is one way of doing as our grandparents did, and as their grandparents did.  Things that may have just been habits have become rituals for each holiday.  Like the famous story of the pot roast.  A little girl is learning to make a pot roast with her mother and was told that it was very important to always cut off the end of the pot roast.  She was very puzzled by this and asked “why do we always cut the end off the pot roast, mom?” 

Her mother replied, “I don’t know, ask you grandmother.”

The little girl then went over to her grandmother who was waiting with the other guests on the holiday night.  She asked ”Grandma, why do you cut the end off your pot roast?”

The grandmother replied, “Well, I don’t know, why don’t you ask your great grandmother?”

The little girl continued over to her great-grandmother and asked ”Why do we always cut the end off our pot roast, Bubby?

The great-grandmother said “Well I cut off the end of the pot roast because I didn’t have enough room for it in my small pot, why your mother and grandmother do it, I don’t know.”

This story itself has been passed down from generation to generation.  It is also passed along to other people in the current generation.  Together we practice rituals with each other and from our ancestors to keep our religion alive.  From stories like the one I just told, our religion even gains new aspects and rituals that make it more fun, and strengthen it.