I am Jewish. I am an Ashkenazi Jew. One of my father’s core religious beliefs, however, was that everyone should follow their religion in their own way.  My father was raised Orthodox, yet he chose to raise his family in a conservative manner.

This week we celebrate Passover and follow certain dietary restrictions. While I attended law school on the upper west side of Manhattan, Passover always came during finals week. I recall coming home one day and confessing to my father that I had eaten Chinese food and rice. Rather than reprimanding me, my father told me that Sephardic Jews generally eat rice during Passover. His words were, “So if you need to follow the Sephardic tradition because that works for you then that’s ok.”

My father’s words have stuck with me. This past Saturday was the first Sedar and my daughter’s birthday. Her birthday has periodically occurred during Passover and, honestly, I have never found a Passover  recipe, cake mix, or bakery cake that was special for her.

This year, for many reasons, I really wanted to make her birthday special and about her even though it fell during the first Sedar night.  I spoke to my husband and we agreed that, at the first Sedar we would serve her favorite food, sushi. I had no issue with eating the fish, it is the rice on the sushi rolls that was problematic for me.  But my father’s words echoed in my head, “If you need to follow the Sephardic tradition because that works for you then that’s ok.”

When my daughter saw the sushi platter, she was shocked but, more importantly so appreciative and thankful. She thanked us profusely for adding something special for her birthday. Of course, I enjoyed the sushi (it’s my favorite as well) but seeing her so happy and appreciative really warmed my heart.

How often do you follow the rules?