Today is the start of Yom Kippur—the only Jewish holiday that’s not about eating.
In fact it’s about NOT eating. For people who aren’t Jewish, often that’s all they know about Yom Kippur— we spend an entire day fasting, no food,no water.
The real meaning of the Day of Atonement goes beyond our stomachs, to our hearts. We don’t eat because we spend the day atoning — asking for forgiveness from God and anyone we’ve wronged in the past year.
This is where it pays to be Jewish rather than Catholic—it’s far easier and more efficient to confess your sins once a year rather than once a week. Seriously.
I do take this day seriously although I’m not an observant Jew— a Day of Atonement and forgiveness is a beautiful tradition.
The abstract concept felt very real when our rabbi would take time out of the service, telling us that if there was someone in the congregation we had wronged in the past year, to go to them and ask their forgiveness.
In the past this was easy— I would just turn to my kids. As a neurotic Jewish mother, I always had a list.
I still have a list—although the kids aren’t around for me to ask forgiveness in person. And the list for my husband would be too long to cover in one day. Plus he doesn’t observe Yom Kippur—mainly because he’s not Jewish.
I decided this year, since we’re in the digital age, to add a virtual version of forgiveness. So I hope you’ll forgive me if over the past year I’ve offended you; whether I know you or not. Even if I wrote something that offended you which wasn’t intentional (according to Jewish law, it still matters even if I didn’t mean it.)
I’m really grateful for all the years I’ve been inscribed in the Book of Life and I hope I’ll be inscribed another year. Whether or not you observe Yom Kippur, I wish the same for you.
You have never offended me, Darryle, so there is nothing to forgive. Of course, we haven’t known each other very long, either.
I hope we do, because I would look forward to being able to forgive you for the inevitable wounds of friendship. I would definitely be needing your forgiveness for something or other.
That’s what love does.
I didn’t know what Yom Kippur meant in the Jewish world, not out of lack of caring, but simply from knowing very few Jewish people in my life. I’m afraid where I grew up everyone was Catholic, Methodist or Lutheran. I know. Pretty limited selection. It was Montana, what ya gonna do?
Thanks for explaining this so beautifully. I think that’s an awesome tradition to add to anyone’s life. I stopped turning to the Catholic confessionals long ago and started going straight to God. After all, he knew what I was up to, no sense trying to fool the big guy in the sky.
The bottom line, I think, is taking responsibility for our actions and truly stepping up to the plate when we are wrong. It cleans our soul in ways that build an irreplaceable inner peace. For me, I like to keep a daily tab on myself. I hate doing harm or hurting anyone. Ever.
Every day should be a Yom Kippur day. The world would be a far more peaceful place.
~Thank you for sharing this part of you, Darryle. *hugs*
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful perspective and in a beautiful way —and so true. So I’ll look forward to forgiveness becoming part of our friendship in the future.
Thank YOU for sharing this part of you so honestly and thoughtfully. It’s an ongoing amazement to me that online we can give—and get—so much from people we haven’t even met …yet. I hope we’ll get to meet, soon. With you from Montana and me from Florida, there’s plenty common ground.
Though I’ve never thought of myself as very spiritual, I also try to keep a daily tab—and try to right wrongs immediately. I wish I were better at it. IT’s a wonderful idea to live your life as if every day was Yom Kippur—and to bring its message of forgiveness into our lives every day.