Jews often ask me if I miss celebrating Christmas.
Well, in my Christian upbringing, we didn’t celebrate Christmas because it was a man-made tradition.
Like many Seventh-Day Adventists, we didn’t celebrate Christmas growing up (the kids got gifts) because God did not command it. Only one Christmas did we have a tree and that’s when my sister — in her twenties — went out and got one.
Tony in Dallas calls Dennis Prager’s radio show: “I’ve got a friend. I think he’s still a Christian, but for some reason he started believing you shouldn’t celebrate any holiday unless God commanded it in the Old Testament. What you think about that as a Jew?”
Dennis: “So he wouldn’t celebrate Thanksgiving?”
Tony: “He won’t celebrate Christmas because it’s not commanded.”
Dennis: “Does he celebrate the Sabbath?”
Tony: “As far as I know.”
Dennis: “Religious people who don’t use common sense make a bad case for religion.”
“Why would God object to anyone celebrating a holiday he didn’t specifically command? That’s as illogical as saying we should not eat foods God did not tell us to eat. I’m not talking kosher. Did God tell you to eat blintzes? This invoking of God for things you don’t need to invoke God for. I’m not going to celebrate my son’s birthday because God did not command me to celebrate birthdays? God didn’t command me to drive a car. Should I drive a car?”
