Shofar, so good...
Sundown tonight marks the beginning of Yom Kippur, probably the most important holiday of the Jewish year. The name "Yom Kippur" means "Day of Atonement," and that pretty much explains what the holiday is. It is a day set aside to "afflict the soul," to atone for the sins of the past year. It's one last appeal to G-d (ya like that one, my Hebrew friends?) to demonstrate your repentance and make amends before his judgment is sealed into the Book of Life. Many Jews who do not observe any other holidays will fast in observance of Yom Kippur.
This year I am fasting.
No, I'm not Jewish. Though there are times when I sort of wish I were. Judaism is such a people oriented religion, as religions go anyway. They don't try to change minds, or banish non-believers to hell for being different. They don't care about sexual orientation. They treat women equally. They don't abuse children and hide the culprit in other youthfully populated churches. If there is such a thing as "the chosen people" I can see why He would have chosen the Jews.
Besides my appreciation for all things Jewish (have you ever had a good brisket? I mean a real good brisket?), I am fasting because I am going on a Jewish excursion with my boyfriend to the very holy land of Boston. There we will fast till we are guilt-free and famished. Oy! Then we shall partake in some of the delicious Jewish delicacies till we are full.
What do you say to someone observing Yom Kippur in lieu of a "Happy birthday" or "Merry Christmas?" I've been asking around all day to figure it out. I'm going with "Have a thoughtful atonement."
posted by Matt Coleman @ 2:00 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Enjoy Boston! I wish I was still there to show you around. There are lots of great Jewish delis on Harvard Street on the Boston/Brookline border, near Coolidge Corner. I highly recommend Zaftig's.
The problem with most religions is that the focus becomes the people, the practices, and the differing opinions thereof. There will always be bickering about who is right and who is wrong, and why. We live in a highly relativistic world, and what will really matter at the end of life is not who is right or wrong, but what is truth. Truth is something that cannot be forced upon anyone; rather, it must be sought by individuals. My personal opinion is that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You may agree or disagree, but I hope that you will base your decision on research and exploration. I highly recommend reading Lee Strobel's book "The Case for Christ" in addition to the Gospel of John found in a copy of the Bible.
Best of luck in your search for truth. Shalom! <><
Haha, thanks Matt for that fabulous post. I have been trying to get you to become a Jew for years now, and I'm glad it's fínally happening. Just for future reference, the greetings you give to people on Yom Kippur are usually "Gut Yontiv" (Yiddish, because it's got the German "gut" and an amalgamatin of Hebrew "Yom Tov" which means "good day", and this is standard to say to any Jew worldwide on any holiday), or another common greeting is "Have an easy fast". Technically you could also say "May you be inscribed in the book of life", but usually we just say that to one another on Rosh Hashana, as that is the beginning of the time when G-d (love it!) starts writing the names down. Commonly on Rosh Hashana, one would say "L'shana Tova Tikateivu", meaning "Good year, and may you be inscribed..." Hope this helps. And I hope you had an easy fast!
You people with your Bible-thumping! Oy! I know I took a few swipes at the Church, but the point was Judaism. So let's stay on topic?
I'm going to eat a bagel.
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