BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement

Subject: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 06:22 PM

Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar begins tomorrow (Friday) night at sundown. This is a solemn day of atonement for all our sins that were committed the previous year. It will be a 26 hour fast day for us. We refrain from all food, drink, washing, wearing of leather shoes, and sexual relations. Being that it comes out on a Saturday this year, the usual prohibitions of the Sabbath apply as well. The entire day is spent in the Synagogue, praying for forgiveness, and beseeching the "Master Of The Universe" to grant us a year of health, peace, and prosperity. I will be praying for all my friends here on Mudcat, as well as for myself and my family. As we say in Hebrew, I wish you all a "Gamar Chasima Tova". SOL ZELLER

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: GUEST,Augie
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 06:39 PM

Gamar Chasima Tova to you,Rabbi Sol

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 06:40 PM

I wish you too a "Gamar Chasima Tova," with this holy day of healing and reconciliation.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Peace
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 06:40 PM

Ditto, Rebbe.

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Folkster
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 07:51 PM

As we say here in Israel, Gmar Chatima Tova v'Zom Kal

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: mack/misophist
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 09:22 PM

Me too

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 02:20 AM

Leather shoes???

Could you explain this to us, Rabbi?

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 07:38 AM

Strange, Sol says he's praying for us and everyone says 'Thanks'. Georgiansilver blesses us and everyone tells him he's a prick. Double-standards? Yup.

SJ :0)

BTW, thanks for the prayers Sol, and thanks for your blessings GS.

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Wolfgang
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 07:56 AM

Sol does this not in each post irrespective of the theme, that's the difference.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 08:22 AM

No difference Wolfgang - good wishes well meant are all the same, no matter how often they're given.

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 08:27 AM

IMHO!! :0)

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Wolfgang
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 08:27 AM

SJ, I'm speaking about the difference in the reaction of the readers.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 08:33 AM

Yep, me too Wolfgang. People should have the grace to accept good wishes in the spirit in which they're given - whether once a year (like Sol's prayers) or frequently (like GS's blessings).

Not trying to open another big and totally unwinnable debate here, just wondered why they thank Sol, but slag off GS? Makes no sense to me. Is it because Sol's a Jew and GS is a Christian maybe?? I dunno - just seems very odd.

Or is it maybe because the slaggers-off haven't read this thread yet?

Whatever, I personally thank Sol for his prayers and GS for his blessings. We are blessed.

SJ :0)

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 08:56 AM

May God truly Bless you at this time Rabbi Sol and to everyone else at the "Cat" Be Blessed.

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Once Famous
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 12:48 PM

Yes, Strollin' Johnny. That's the real reason.

Or is it because it's easier to accept because the Rabbi is ordained and has made religion his life's work?

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 01:03 PM

Wearing leather shoes is considered an item of material comfort, which has to be refained from on this day. By giving up our material comforts (food, drink, washing, sex, leather shoes),we are de-emphasising the material aspects of life and putting more emphasis on the spiritual aspects, so that we can pray to God with more concentration and fervor. We are trying to be more like Angels who do not require these creature comforts and are not distracted by them in their service to God. That is why you will see many Jews on this day dressed in their finest suits and dresses, but wearing only sneakers as footwear. It is rather a strange sight for the un-informed. SOL ZELLER

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Little Hawk
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 01:52 PM

May you all have a fine and spiritually meaningful Yom Kippur. Peace be with you.

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Nerd
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 01:55 PM

The weird thing is that sneakers are often MORE comfortable than leather shoes. But the letter of the law is not always in perfect consonance with the spirit.

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: LilyFestre
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 02:14 PM

Hello Rabbi,

   I have a question. I have a friend who is Jewish. Once a year she goes to a river and symbolically throws away the sins from this year or something like that...do you have any idea what this is and why it is done?

Just curious.

Lily

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 02:55 PM

Hi Lily,
         This is known as the custom of "Tashlich", which literally translated from the Hebrew means "throwing away". It ia about this time of year that it is done. Those who live within walking distance of a body of water (containing fish), perform this ritual on the first day of Rosh Hashana. If the first day of Rosh Hashana falls on a Saturday (Sabbath), the ritual is performed on the second day of Rosh Hashana. Those who do not live withing walking distance of a body of water, and must ride to get there, perform the ritual during the days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. One recites certain designated verses from the Prophets and Psalms,dealing with forgiveness and repentance. After the recitations are complete, the individual then turns his or her pockets inside out, symboliziing one's intentions to cast away their sins upon the waters. Some people actually use bread crumbs when performing this ritual. The idea is to come before God on Yom Kippur and say "I have cast away my sins of the previous year for which I am remorseful, and resolve not to repeat them again during the coming year". Hopefully, God will forgive us of our past sins and grant us a clean slate for the new year. SOL ZELLER

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 03:06 PM

Nerd,
      I realize that today, many people consider sneakers to be more comfortable than leather shoes. You have to bear in mind however, that when the laws were promulgated during Biblical times, the prevalant footwear of the time, especially in the Middle East, was leather sandals. Sneakers were non-existant or unknown to mankind at that time. SOL ZELLER

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 04:22 PM

Rabbi:

Thanks for explaining that.

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: LilyFestre
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 07:19 PM

Hi Rabbi,

   Thanks for explaining that to me! While I am a Christian, I always thought that trip to the river was, well, thought provoking. I like it!

Thanks again!
Lily

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Little Hawk
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 07:30 PM

So...the sneakers are a matter of the outer form, not the actual experience? That strikes me as a not very useful spiritual exercise. Still, if the symbology is understood in the right light, I guess that's still workable in a ceremonial sense.

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Sorcha
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 07:38 PM

And, Rabbi, don't the Ultra Orthodox go barefoot?
The issue of 'biblical times' is an interesting one to me and always has been. Almost all of the Kashrut (Kosher) laws are desgined to keep people in a hot, desert climate alive, but they are still observed to the spirit and the letter by the Orthodox and esp. the Ultra Othodox (also some of the Conservatives and Reform....depends on the person) Which begs the question....WHY? The only answer I have ever gotten is because G-D said so.....

So, why not in other areas (like shoes) also? I am really sorry the Ask the Rabbi site has seemed to have dissapeared. Thank you, Rabbi for just being here.

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: CarolC
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 07:43 PM

And to you, Rabbi Sol and Georgiansilver.

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Kaleea
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 09:55 PM

Thanks for the nifty explanation, Rabbi! Many moons ago when I Was a church Musician & choir director for the army (I was a civilian, but the wife of a GI) I had lots of fun doing Music for the Army chapel. Back then it was a choice of either Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish--pick ONE. Since there were often not enough Musicians around for all the various services, I got to do double & triple "duty" & loved every minute of it!!! I even got to be part of an ecumenical group which used drama, music, dance, & visual arts at the Air Force Academy for all THREE services in all three sanctuaries. Wow, this protestant-raised gal from the bible-belt had never had so much fun! I mut say that I enjoyed the Jewish service the best. Later, as a Music major in college, I was a total pointy-headed egghead when we studied various religious Music. We need more of this kind of sharing in our world.

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 09:43 PM

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Little Hawk
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 07:30 PM

"So...the sneakers are a matter of the outer form, not the actual experience? That strikes me as a not very useful spiritual exercise."

Could that maybe, perhaps, be because YOU'RE NOT JEWISH ?

I guess we should vet all our traditions with non-believers before we continue them.You're certainly entitled to your opinions, but mine is that expressing such disrespect for something you know comparatively little about is also a "not very useful spiritual exercise."

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 10:47 PM

Well, I just completed my fast and had my first food and drink in 26 hours. I came through it pretty well without any major discomfort. Now, let me tackle some of the questions that arose in my absence. First off to answer Sorcha. The ultra-orthodox do not go barefoot. They do wear socks. Going barefoot in a Synagogue is considered dis-respectful. Although the high priests in the Holy Temple of yesteryear did go barefoot they were specificly commanded to do so. However, since the Temple does not exist, we are not permitted to enter a Synagogue with bare feet. The ultra-orthodox who do not wear sneakers or galoshers on Yom Kippur, go in there stockinged feet. As far as your question on Kosher food goes, it is one of the few commandments that has to be accepted on blind faith without any reason. Most others however do have reasons behind them. Although people have tried to put forth their own reasons for keeping Kosher (i.e. Pork causes Trichinosis), the truth is that it must be accepted on faith alone becase God said so. A law that must be accepted without reason is known in Hebrew as a "chok" which is literally translated as an edict. Getting back to shoes, the Bible always spoke in terms that people could relate to. Since all the Jews at that time did live in the hot desert climate of the Middle East, the laws were specificly written for them. Since leather sandals were what was worn, the law specificly forbid the wearing of leather footwear on Yom Kippur. Footwear made of rubber, canvas, or any other synthetic material unknown at that time is permitted. As far as Little Hawk's comments go, I do not at all consider them disrespectful. He does make a valid point about outer appearances. For example, the ultra-orthodox require all married women to cover their hair in public. The rationale behind this is that they should not be attractive to men other than their husband. However, they are permitted to spend thousands of dollars on a designer wig that might be even more attractive than their own hair. The Rabbis do permit this even though it defeats the purpose of the law without violating the actual law itself. So yes, here is an example of outer form vs. actual experience in Judaism. Perhaps if Moses had a multi-million dollar contract with Nike or Addidas like Michael Jordan & Tiger Woods do, the laws on sneakers might have been different. SOL ZELLER

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 01:10 AM

We may agree---disagree---we may correspond privately---but, I have to say---I love your sense of humor---Rabbi Sol. Right up my alley---not the bowling one and not on shabos.   You may know that kind of humor from Traditions. OF course---Mel Brooks did make the point that there were really 15 commandments---Moses dropped one of the tablets. Bet that was the one about Nike.


Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 02:59 AM

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 03:02 AM

hope yom Kipppur was holy to you...peace to your family and all around you.
Mark

Subject: RE: BS: Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 04:10 AM

Kaleea, I appreciated what you said about interdenominational participation in religious music.   I'm a member of the High Holiday choir at the Reform congregation in Honolulu. I usually attend services at the Conservative synagogue, Sof Ma-arav ("End of the West"), which, like traditional Conservative congregations, does not have a choir. The choir sang at the evening service for Rosh Hashanah and also Friday night's Kol Nidre service at the start of Yom Kippur. The rest of the High Holiday services, including all of Yom Kippur, I spent with Sof Ma'arav, which does not have its own building but meets in a Unitarian church.

The wonderful thing about this choir is that more than half of the members are not Jewish--they come from various church choirs around town, including the choir director, who is the music director at the aforementioned Unitarian church. It is very moving to have all these people joining with us, singing traditional liturgical tunes as well as newer choral arrangements. It made everyone's experience much richer to have all their voices, as well as their varied experiences and perspectives, adding to our service, and their contribution was greatly appreciated by the congregation as well as by the rest of us choristers.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy year...whenever you start counting it.

Aloha,
Mark

(By the way, if anyone is planning to be in Hawaii next September and can sing tenor, I'd really appreciate not being the ONLY tenor in the choir! It makes my mistakes much more obvious...)