The holiest days of the year for the Jewish people will take place over the next few weeks. I wanted to share with you some of the themes and teachings of the upcoming holy days and how well they parallel the Twelve Steps. I will also send, in a separate e-mail, what the Jewish students will be doing to observe these holy days.
The first thing to note is that all Jewish holidays begin at sundown and continue until sundown the next day. This is based on the story of creation in the book of Genesis in the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) that states at the end of each day of creation, “There was evening, there was morning, the first (or second or third…) Thus each holiday starts in the evening.
HIGH HOLY DAYS:
These are the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. They are also called the 10 DAYS OF AWE. This is a time of deep introspection and self-evaluation. We are asked to reflect on our lives during the past year, evaluating what we have done that was right, and what we have done that was wrong. It is a time to reflect on whether our lives have meaning and how to add more meaning to our lives by doing God’s work – reaching out to those in need, showing care and concern for our loved ones, standing up for justice, being truthful and honest, and welcoming the “stranger” (new comers or those who are different than we are.)
ROSH HASHANAH
Rosh Hashanah literally means, “The Head of the Year.” It is the beginning of the Jewish spiritual new year. It is a time to reflect on the past year and the person we have become. We are asked to make a “list” of those people we have wronged during the past year and to ask their forgiveness. Jewish tradition talks of the “Book of Life.” It is a book that God “keeps” during the year listing our good deeds and our sins. In one of our High Holy Day liturgical prayers we are told that God determines during these ten days, what the next year will be like for us, based upon our behavior of the previous year. The prayer ends by saying, “Prayer, repentance, and charity” can affect the outcome of God’s decree.
The shofar, or ram’s horn, is traditionally blown on this holy day. The shofar was used in ancient days to announce important days and events. It is also a “wake up call” to arouse us out of our laziness and remind us of the meaningful and important tasks we have ahead of us. Listen! You may hear the sound of the shofar on the Family School Campus during this time.
YOM KIPPUR
Yom Kippur is the Day of Repentance. It is on this day that we ask God for forgiveness for our sins*. (Our weekdays prayers throughout the year also have a prayer for forgiveness but this is the main theme of the entire worship service on Yom Kippur.) An important teaching in regard to repentance is that with proper prayer, God will forgive us for our sins against God, but only people can forgive us for the sins we have committed against them. We are expected, during these ten days, to ask forgiveness from those we have wronged. To help us in our introspection and repentance, we fast for 24 hours beginning at sundown.
For those Jewish students at the Family School who wish to fast, please be conscious of their needs and allow the following:
- On Friday evening, Sept 17th before they leave for synagogue, please allow such students to have as much food as they need at dinner, regardless of what portion they usually take.During breakfast and lunch (I am not sure if they will be back in time for lunch) please allow them to sit on the couches in the houses and not be asked to sit at the table where everyone else is eating.
On Saturday evening for dinner, please allow them to have all the food they need to eat after breaking the fast.
Some students, who have not fasted in the past, may chose to fast only part of the 24 hours. I encourage them to at least try part of the process. (i.e. fast until lunch.)
*SIN
The Hebrew word for sin is “Khet” which is also the word for a “target.” According to Judaism, when you sin, you have missed the target. Our goal in life is to aim for high morals, values and behavior. When we sin, we have “missed the target.” The metaphor is like an archer who aims the bow and arrow towards the bulls-eye but misses. Some miss completely. Others just don’t get the bulls-eye. A sinner is not a bad or evil person, just one who has strayed from the path of doing good and right. The goal is to get back on the correct path, to practice and get closer to the bulls-eye.
I look forward to helping the Jewish students at the Family School have a meaningful High Holy Day experience.
Rabbi Michele
