A few months ago,I was freaking outover my daughter starting preschool, not because I didn’t want her to go but because I can’t believe she’s old enough for it. After a few weeks of adjustment (mostly on her part; I found the additional free time quite easy to adapt to), Ellie is a happy student at theschool in a Conservative temple.
The thing is she already knows more about Judaism than I do. I attended religious school at a Reform temple from first through 12thgrades, but much of what I remember is the socializing. (No comment, please, Mom.) When Ellie came home from her second day of school and said “boker tov” (good morning) to me, I thought perhaps she had sneezed.
Sometimes when she says a word I can’t make out, I wonder if it’s Hebrew for something. I know her teachers give the Hebrew as well as English names for things.
All of this has made for interesting, if not at times awkward, conversations. At home, Ellie has asked to kiss the
mezuzah
(we have several) and atYizkor onYom Kippur, she was ready to rush the ark, shouting “See ’em Torahs?” during a moment of silence. At school, her teacher asked how ourSukkotwas, and I said, with downward-cast eyes, “Very nice, thank you.” We hadn’t done much to celebrate it at home. OK, we hadn’t doneanythingto celebrate it at home.
当我还是个孩子的时候,我们庆祝犹太节日s with the traditionally appropriate festivities:seders,break-the-fasts,latkes,challah,matzah, etc. But we didn’tkeep kosheror learn to converse in Hebrew.
I love being Jewish and part of the Jewish community, and I am glad I chose a preschool where Ellie can learn more than I can teach her. That’s the point, after all. It just so happens I will get more for my money than I bargained for when I enrolled her. I’ll get an education, too.
