Jewish perspective on Halloween
By Rabbi M. Kaplan
Jack O’Lanterns, witches, goblins, devils and every costume imaginable – are these simply innocent pastimes to thrill children, or are they something that Jewish parents, in particular, should examine and evaluate carefully?
Historically speaking, the Halloween’s origins trace themselves back to the pagan idolatrous rites of the ancient Celtic and Druid civilizations. The Celtic year ended on October 31, and they would then celebrate a joint festival dedicated to the “sun god” and the “lord-of-the-dead.” Some historians even believe that Halloween was once also associated with savage human sacrifices.
Subsequently the Church appropriated this Holiday. In fact, the name “Halloween” means “Hallow evening”, or “holy night”, and is connected to All-Saints-Day also known as Hallowmas or All-Hallows-Day. It is the eve of one of the most important feasts in the Church calendar, solemnly observed by the Roman Catholics, Anglicans And Lutherans.
Halloween glorifies concepts relating to demonic forces, haunted places, witches, ghosts, goblins and general occult practices. Our faith celebrates life, not death. We believe in serving G-d with joy, not dread or horror. Most importantly, as a people we have always revered wholesomeness and uprightness not mischief.
While it surely behooves us to respect all faiths and religions, and we should appreciate others celebrating their religious festivals with pomp and ceremony, joining them is another matter altogether. This holds especially true when the observances and ideals promote beliefs, which are entirely alien to Judaism.
Clearly, Halloween is a holiday with strong religious background and character that is foreign to our religion. To be sure, it is often interesting to explore other cultures, but Judaism does make a very strong distinction when it comes to celebrating and observing other religious traditions.
In addition to the “religious” considerations, parents may want to contemplate the subtle messages they may unwittingly convey by encouraging (or even allowing observance of these “traditions”).
Much of Halloween paraphernalia expresses themes of violence, destruction and spitefulness. Why would we want to treat this like a joke?
"But Rabbi, The Costumes are fabulous and the kids have so much fun!"
True, that’s why now’s the time to buy the costumes and save them for Purim. As for a good time, take them out for the night, the movies, bowling or ice-skating are just a few suggestions. (They will be empty anyway).
Last, but not least – “I don’t want my child to be different"
Issues of peer pressure are never easy – whether your children are three or thirteen. How you handle issues of principle now, at this stage of your child’s life, may set the tone for later challenges. Being firm, yet matter-of-fact conveys the message that this counts, and that being different is not a tragedy – or even a burden. Just as we shouldn’t criticize others who do differently, we shouldn’t feel a need to apologize for being different!
