For those of you know me and are good friends with me you might notice a necklace that I wear daily. It’s a silver chain with a green symbol that looks a little rusty. If you look close it will appear to be symbols you might not be familiar with. It is a chai which translates into life in English. Growing up I was never really big into wearing necklaces or I went to schools where they weren’t allowed but for the past year this necklace is different than any other necklace I have ever worn. This all started when many of my friends started wearing Magen David (Star Of David) necklaces. It made me realize that if they weren’t afraid to show off their religion or something they are extremely proud and fortunate of then I should be able to do the same.
One of the biggest parts of my life which I am not afraid to share is how big the religion Judaism is in my life. I had a bar mitzvah, I went to synagogue frequently, went and worked at a Jewish camp and helped start a Jewish fraternity at my college. Wearing this necklace helps me feel connected to my religion more every day that I put it on.
There is a word in Hebrew that means many things to the Jewish people and that word is chai. Chai translates to the word life in English and in the numerical setting of Hebrew it means the number 18. The number 18 is important to the Jewish people because one of our famous prayers has 18 parts to it. According to shiva.com the Jewish religion put an emphasis on how important life is. As such, the literal translation of the word "chai' to 'life is meaningful on its face. In addition, individuals who observe Judaism or identify with the religion are generally guided by basic principles which include characteristics such as kindness, thoughtfulness, selflessness and remaining good natured, both morally and ethically during life on Earth.
I was always close and had a connection to my religion growing up and wearing a necklace with the word life on it makes me feel even more connected. But what makes me so proud to wear this necklace? This necklace tells my story about all the struggles I went through with being Jewish. Growing up I was bullied for who I was and when I called people out they would act like nothing was happening. Wearing this necklace shows how proud I am to be a Jew and that there will be people out there who will try and undermine me for who I am but at the end of the day I wouldn’t trade in my Judaism for anything else.
We should always be proud of who we are because everything that we have sets us aside from other people in our life. I wear the chai to feel closer with Judaism what do you wear to connect with yourself?
