From the Raven: Happy Holy Days? (Column)
Navigating holy days for those lacking faith, but spiritually inclined, requires looking for new customs (and writing about them!)
By Leah Eichler,
I grew up in an Orthodox Jewish environment and for many years, was a devout believer. While some of it was traumatizing, I do remember with fondness, on the evening before Passover, looking through each corner of my grandparents’ apartment with a candle, searching for even a crumb of bread.
Now, my adherence to tradition can at best be called eclectic. I hosted a seder at my home for my immediate family, faithfully relating the story of the exodus from slavery, but the croissants I baked before the holidays sit on my counter, next to the matzah. It seems I am unable, or unwilling to throw them away. Tonight, I’ll have an Easter dinner with my partner’s family, where my kids will enjoy chocolate eggs and cream-filled desserts.
That doesn’t mean I’m not still attached to my faith. I wrote a short story, published in these pages, called The #ShabbatChallenge, inspired by my Jewish camp days and a childhood friend, Minna, who left us too soon.
And much to my own surprise, I gave myself the challenge of Counting the Omer. It’s an obscure practice for those not steeped in Judaism, but involves counting for 49 days, starting from Passover until the holiday of Shavuot. There’s a Kabbalistic theme to the counting, where each day is related to a permeation in your character. In layman’s terms, you meditate on the characteristic in the aspiration of becoming a better version of yourself. For example, day 1 you consider giving without being aware of oneself as doing a good deed, day 2 is giving but within certain limits. You get the drift. This custom is more aligned with my current worldview.
It made me think how many stories we’ve received that are based in faith, including Step Nine and Father D and Last Fragments. A few will be published soon, including one called “Billy and the Priest” and another, “The Ram’s Gift,” which is a re-imagining of the sacrifice of Isaac. Many others still are spiritual in nature, dealing with either witchcraft, the supernatural or, well, the esoteric. A lot of this comes down to wanting to make sense of our world and our thoughts. Now I believe in people. I believe in writing. I believe in getting to the truth using words as best we can. If someone could bottle that into a faith, I’ll proselytize.
Some housekeeping notes:
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Podcast:
Susan Catto and I will be launching a new podcast this spring called “Still a Classic?” In it, we will review books (both old and new) and debate whether or not they can still be considered a classic. Have a suggestion for a book we should tackle? Want to join us to discuss it in the podcast? Email me at editor@esotericamag.com. Preferential treatment will be offered to paid subscribers.
Submissions:
We are always on the look out for strong fiction and creative non-fiction. We are expanding our “Big Ideas” section to include first person essays and memoirs. You can send your finished piece to us through Submittable. If you aren’t sure if it’s a good fit, feel free to email us at editor@esotericamag.com.
Work with Esoterica:
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Last but not least: Substack’s chat functions:
What would you like to see in the Substack chat function? A book club? Book reviews? A discussion about writing? I’m open to your suggestions.
Yours in writing and reading,
Leah Eichler