People think I’m kidding when I say it has taken decades of therapy to forgive my Brooklyn-born parents from moving toddler me from Manhattan to New Jersey. I am not kidding. The moment I could get myself across the George Washington Bridge without adult supervision, I did. I’m proud to have graduated from Queens College and New York University; much less proud of relinquishing my affordable apartment on East 10th between 2nd and 3rd avenue. What was I thinking?
How I ended up back in New Jersey is yet another long story for another time. I mention my personal Diaspora because I believe it helps explain why I’m particularly fixated on Exodus — scripture, not the epic film based on the epic novel by Leon Uris. Jews along the spectrum of what currently constitutes Judaism generally have no difficulty understanding my thing for Exodus. To be more clear: I relate especially to the stuff about being once embraced, then kicked out, wandering around, trusting and then being chosen and loved by God.
In contrast, I spend a considerable amount of time inviting Christians in liturgical churches to read Exodus and then explaining why they need to do so. Exodus is where they’ll encounter what biblical scholars and theologians somewhat antiseptically call the "Sinai Event." Reading Exodus will help Christians avoid asking questions like, "Do Jews believe in the Ten Commandments?" (Asked during a conference for Catholic religious educators.) Exodus is where they’ll find the specs for sanctuary décor. This often comes as news. Why?
In case you don’t already know, the order of worship is basically the same for the Mass celebrated by Roman Catholics and Orthodox churches, the Service of Holy Communion celebrated by Lutherans, and the Holy Eucharist celebrated by Anglican/Episcopalians. When it comes to reading the word of God, the first two readings (technically: one reading and a song/psalm) are from Hebrew scripture. Consequently, regular in-the-pew Christians do not generally spend a lot of time listening to, let alone studying, Exodus. Never mind that the central activity of liturgical worship is anchored in Passover, most Christian laity are clue free about how reading Exodus will enhance their worship experience. I also hope it stimulates gratitude for and appreciation of their Jewish roots.
"Flip open your bible to Exodus," I say at the beginning of the sanctuary tour. (This request is already a challenge for Roman Catholics who do not typically have copies of either the bible or Christian scripture readily available.) "Please turn to chapter twenty-five, verse eight."
We traipse through the next three chapters, skip to chapter thirty and continue reading to the end of the book for this tell and show adventure. I ask them to contemplate what a Jewish visitor might find familiar. And, it has recently occurred to me that quite a few Jews might also benefit from engaging in this exercise — at a synagogue.