Jewish history does not always follow the laws of physics. The Second Law of Thermodynamics, after all, says that in an isolated system, entropy always increases over time and this gives the universe an unidirectional flow (thank you, Google). Simply stated, we generally conceive of history being the “arrow of time,” a series of events that take place one after another.

Anyone who takes a college course on Jewish history will learn it exactly this way. We move from the biblical period, towards the Talmudic period, into the Middle Ages, through the Enlightenment, and on to modern times with everything in between. Abraham comes before Moses comes before Rashi comes before Golda. Fortunately for us, however, those of us who live actively in our Jewish community do not interact with Jewish history as if it was a classroom subject to memorize. We all know that Jewish history is not in the past, it is very much alive and with us today.

One way to experience Jewish history is as links in a chain, rather than an arrow in time. Each link might represent a different generation and we can imagine this chain stretching backwards and forwards through the ages, connecting us all. This way, Jewish history is transformed into much more than a description of what happened in the past. As a chain connecting generation to generation, we forge that inner strength that helps us learn from our past to overcome the challenges of the present and to ensure our impact upon an ever-brighter future.

Viewed from a distance, our chain looks like a solid line stretching its way through history. But this is only half the story. As we move closer and closer to the chain, we notice that each of those links is not a straight line. Instead, they are circles, spiraling back again and again even as they move forwards.

These circles are our rituals and traditions. They are those parts of history that are passed on from rabbis to congregations, from parents to children. Circles connect us in different ways as each generation reshapes our heritage to make it meaningful to the present while preserving the past.

These lines and circles of Jewish history are perhaps most apparent during the Passover seder. The seder is, of course, a retelling of our history when the Jewish people moved from slavery to freedom. It links our generation to those generations of the past as we look at the continuity of Passover art, the Haggadah, and the seder itself. But we also experience the circles when we share stories of the seders of our youth, recount our favorite Passover memories, discuss possible answers to questions posed by both children and adults, and perhaps enjoy family recipes that have been passed down over time.

I wonder how we might apply the concepts of lines and circles to our Indianapolis Jewish community. What are the links in our chain that connect generation to generation? What parts of our heritage do we see when we look closer and how have they been shaped and reshaped over time?

Our community is blessed for many reasons, but high among them is that we are privileged to live along this chain of Jewish history. Every generation is different just as every family is different. Only by joining together and adding our voice can we keep the chain strong and continue to extend it into the future.