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Eggs at Easter. Matzah at Passover. Dates at Ramadan. Before reading became fundamental, the lessons and remembrances of faiths were passed on through spoken stories, songs, artwork and food.
What made the traditions stick around even after most believers could read and write?
“I imagine it’s because we like rituals,” Mena says. “They connect us to our past and offer rich and powerful connections to our ancestors and to each other.”
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But as one San Diego rabbi cautions, don’t stop with just repeating the ritual. “I tell my students to ask questions, to understand,” says Rabbi Mendel Polichenco of the Chabad of Carmel Valley. “It’s not enough to eat the matzah. You have to know what it represents.”