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If I push myself tonight perhaps I can finish the last 6 long seams…..

On a different note an interesting exchange with a co-worker has me still thinking.

I brought in matzo for Passover and have been sharing the box with my co-workers. This has brought about some interesting discussions about my being Jewish.

One asked me if I “practice my faith.” My immediate response which might have sounded flip to some was “I don’t need to practice my faith — faith isn’t something you practice.” He understood and we chatted a few moments longer about observance etc. But I keep thinking about this – faith is what you hold as an essential belief. You can think about it, ponder it, examine it, doubt it — but practicing….. What you do with your faith is act on it — live it in other words — use it to shape what you do. And so a simple box of matzot has made me think about my life and being Jewish and what that means.

while I’m pondering deep things, I can’t help but wonder about all the conflict between Israel and its neighbors. To me, the nation of Israel is the community bounded by faith, not one determined by geographic boundries.. Why fight so hard and use religion as a reason to kill. As the passover story tells, the trip to the land “over the river Jordan” was as much (or more) about the journey – away from slavery and captivity – as it was about the destination. I realize that Israel is not the only country to use religion as a reason for killing.