Passover, Holy Week and Why Markets are Closed on Good Friday
If you're looking for key market data for the upcoming week, or a breakdown of stock market results for the first quarter by sector, look elsewhere. This coming week brings something we suggest is more interesting and important: Passover and Holy Week.
Passover should be familiar to anyone who can spell J-E-W-I-S-H. As for Holy Week, some of you in our post-Christian culture may not really know what "Holy Week" means. Simply put, it's the holiest time of the year for Christians. On Palm Sunday, we Christians remember Jesus, riding a donkey, entering Jerusalem to the acclaim of the masses. As the week progresses through Spy Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, things take a turn for the worse. Eventually Jesus is taken prisoner, condemned to death by crucifixion, arguably the cruelest, most painful form of torture leading to death ever invented by man. The reason all this is "Holy"? His suffering and death saved us all from our sins. The point was made in spades when He rose from the dead on Sunday, the first Easter. If you don't understand any part of what I've just described, it would behoove you to do a little homework. Your time would be well spent.
As for Passover, I've never participated in a Ceder, which this year will be celebrated on the first night of Passover, which extends from sundown on Monday to sundown April 18th. But I know what's being celebrated because we Christians know the Old Testament like the back of our hands (or should) and recognize a common religious and spiritual ancestry in the history of the Jewish people. Fortunately for me, that knowledge came not only from studying my faith, but also from my upbringing. Because of that upbringing, when Passover overlaps Holy Week and/or Easter, it's something very special.
In fact, I happened to be reading recently in Deuteronomy about the seven days’ observance of Passover, and the unleavened bread. That reminded me of growing up in an apartment building with Jewish neighbors. On our floor five of the eight families were Jewish. Many of my contemporaries in Catholic school growing up in more religiously homogenized neighborhoods never got to know, understand, or appreciate Jews. We did.
One result of our co-habitation was that I became aware of Jewish holidays and celebrations in addition to our own Christian observances. When Passover rolled around, Mom used to buy Matzoh (unleavened bread). We’d eat it with our meals or as a snack, usually with butter. One or more of our Jewish neighbors would bring something appropriate to their holiday, e.g. gefilte fish, to us. The food connected us in some way. Despite our differences, and the occasional conflict that might arise because of those differences, we all got along; and there was a certain element of respect, even affection in our interactions. Sincere exchanges of "Happy Passover," and "Happy Easter" were commonplace. Not a bad place to grow up, that old apartment building. Being poor in material possessions (which we were), we were rich in our human relationships.
So when you add all this up, you can see why whatever else occurs this week, whether in the markets or our personal lives, it will be Passover and Holy Week that makes a real difference for all of us, starting today.
I hope you already understand, appreciate, and observe the coming days as I hope to. If not, you must wonder why the stock market closes on Good Friday. It does you know. The reason it does, and pretty much always has, should now be clear to you, if it wasn't already. And if what you just read comes as news, let me extend a wish and a prayer that you: a) learn more about the great teachings embedded in Judaism and Christianity; b) that you're learning changes you profoundly, such that you put God first in your life, and treat your neighbor as you would like to be treated. If even one of you learns and changes as a result of today's post, my life will not have been lived in vain.
Passover should be familiar to anyone who can spell J-E-W-I-S-H. As for Holy Week, some of you in our post-Christian culture may not really know what "Holy Week" means. Simply put, it's the holiest time of the year for Christians. On Palm Sunday, we Christians remember Jesus, riding a donkey, entering Jerusalem to the acclaim of the masses. As the week progresses through Spy Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, things take a turn for the worse. Eventually Jesus is taken prisoner, condemned to death by crucifixion, arguably the cruelest, most painful form of torture leading to death ever invented by man. The reason all this is "Holy"? His suffering and death saved us all from our sins. The point was made in spades when He rose from the dead on Sunday, the first Easter. If you don't understand any part of what I've just described, it would behoove you to do a little homework. Your time would be well spent.
As for Passover, I've never participated in a Ceder, which this year will be celebrated on the first night of Passover, which extends from sundown on Monday to sundown April 18th. But I know what's being celebrated because we Christians know the Old Testament like the back of our hands (or should) and recognize a common religious and spiritual ancestry in the history of the Jewish people. Fortunately for me, that knowledge came not only from studying my faith, but also from my upbringing. Because of that upbringing, when Passover overlaps Holy Week and/or Easter, it's something very special.
In fact, I happened to be reading recently in Deuteronomy about the seven days’ observance of Passover, and the unleavened bread. That reminded me of growing up in an apartment building with Jewish neighbors. On our floor five of the eight families were Jewish. Many of my contemporaries in Catholic school growing up in more religiously homogenized neighborhoods never got to know, understand, or appreciate Jews. We did.
One result of our co-habitation was that I became aware of Jewish holidays and celebrations in addition to our own Christian observances. When Passover rolled around, Mom used to buy Matzoh (unleavened bread). We’d eat it with our meals or as a snack, usually with butter. One or more of our Jewish neighbors would bring something appropriate to their holiday, e.g. gefilte fish, to us. The food connected us in some way. Despite our differences, and the occasional conflict that might arise because of those differences, we all got along; and there was a certain element of respect, even affection in our interactions. Sincere exchanges of "Happy Passover," and "Happy Easter" were commonplace. Not a bad place to grow up, that old apartment building. Being poor in material possessions (which we were), we were rich in our human relationships.
So when you add all this up, you can see why whatever else occurs this week, whether in the markets or our personal lives, it will be Passover and Holy Week that makes a real difference for all of us, starting today.
I hope you already understand, appreciate, and observe the coming days as I hope to. If not, you must wonder why the stock market closes on Good Friday. It does you know. The reason it does, and pretty much always has, should now be clear to you, if it wasn't already. And if what you just read comes as news, let me extend a wish and a prayer that you: a) learn more about the great teachings embedded in Judaism and Christianity; b) that you're learning changes you profoundly, such that you put God first in your life, and treat your neighbor as you would like to be treated. If even one of you learns and changes as a result of today's post, my life will not have been lived in vain.
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