Henny Youngman, the comedian, once said, “I tried being an atheist, but I gave it up. There were no holidays.”
A holiday is referred to in Hebrew as a Moed. This actually means a date or a meeting. In other words, a holiday is a date with God. Why would you need to date God?
Even though my wife and I have been married for over thirty years now, we regularly go out on dates. Although we see each other daily, our profound connection often gets overshadowed by the hustle and bustle of life. Life sometimes gets in the way of love and you forget how deep is your love.
When was the last time you noticed your breath or your heartbeat? Unless you lose your breath or miss a beat, these miracles of life often go unnoticed and unappreciated. It is precisely because they are constant and consistent that we forget them and lose the wonder they should inspire.
God is with us every moment of our life. Therefore, it is easy for us to forget that godly presence fills the present. The holidays are really a date with God; special times in Jewish history where God’s loving presence was dramatically obvious.