Are you crazy? Lent is a Christian tradition. Nothing to do with the Jews.

Maybe…

For Jews observing Passover, the preparation is just as important as the meal itself.

Jews prepare by cleaning their homes of bread. They prepare by studying the Exodus story. They prepare through self-examination.

Just as Lent prepares Christians for Easter, these actions prepare Jewish bodies and souls to experience the Passover meal.

For Jews, Passover celebrates the REBIRTH of the Jewish people. During the four hundred years of slavery, the Israelites grew from a clan of 70 to a nation of over a million.

For Christians, Lent is also a period of preparation. It culminates in Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and, effectively, the REBIRTH of humanity.

What better preparation than 40 days of contemplation on the failings of man and the majesty of G-d?

A walk from Jerusalem to Jericho through the valley of repentance.

The Greek word ineffectively translated as “repentance” in the Bible quite literally means “to change your mind” (metanoia), which is the prime function of this season of Lent.

It is not about giving up sweets (or any other concrete thing)!

You can give up all the “sweets” you want yet still be trapped in the old mind.

You can give up no sweets at all, and allow yourself a total “revolution of the mind”.

A REBIRTH.

Preparing for Passover is like getting ready to be reborn.

So is Lent.