The more I study and understand Judaism and the Old Testament through the lens of ancient Jewish culture, the more I realize how certain practices and rituals were pivotal for

maintaining their faith and their family’s faith. 

One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament is about the Hebrew slaves, Moses, Pharaoh, you know the one… and this epic feels metaphoric for me. I have played every character in this story: Moses, the slaves, and even Pharaoh. 

One year, a Jewish co-worker made a joke about how it is tough to recall the journey through the desert every year, but we “make it through,” as if he were the one who had to literally walk through the desert for forty years and forty nights. 

But perhaps he was on to something. 

I’ve been in a “dessert” with God for a really long time. There were times when…