Religion for Toddlers

From the day of his Bris, when the Moyel snipped and Daniel sucked on a wine-dipped cotton swab, my little boy was unequivocally Jewish. He had endured the earliest "rite of passage" for Jewish boys, and was awarded a personalized yarmulke as a souvenir of his courage. Tonight, Daniel will wear that very yarmulke for the first time since that fateful day. We are going to a "Tot Shabbat" at KI synagogue, guests of our friends Matt, Rachel, and Harrison Steinberg. We have selected a special event through which we will introduce Daniel to the rituals of the Sabbath. The KI Puppets will make an appearance, and a good time is sure to be had by all. Though I keep imagining the puppets singing "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" while dressed in rabbinical garb, I imagine this performance will be less "Avenue Q" and more "Fiddler on the Roof."

I wonder what will go through Daniel's mind as he witnesses for the first time the majesty of the ark and the beauty of the Torah. It's usually shiny, so this should capture his attention quite successfully. I think it's important for him to see us there as a family. Judaism to me was always about family and tradition. By bringing Daniel to the synagogue for a family event, I am symbolically passing on this experience to my child. He will take from it what he will (most likely something distinguishing about a particular puppet). Most significantly, however, it will mark the first of many synagogue outings for our family. I can only hope that Daniel will feel the warmth and sense of belonging that I always have.