Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is very special, not just because we are atoning for our sins, but we are asking G-d to forgive us.
We are taught that G-d cannot forgive us until our fellow man has done so.
The Avenu Malkenu (our father our king, forgive us for....) enumerates our misdeeds to our friends, family, neighbors.
I have seen folks who are angry with each other go over and shake hands on this holiday and forgive each other for harsh words or lapses in trust and it is a beautiful thing to see folks "make up" at this time of the year.
We atone for all our sins and ask to be written in the book for a good year as the holiday comes to a close.
The purpose of the fast is so there are no distractions from prayer. A truly religious person will not be distracted by electronics or food or anything other than prayer on this day.
I have often explained to gentile friends that while they go to confessions and ask forgiveness for their sins on a regular basis, we Jews "save it up" and do it all in one 24 hour period.
I say it with tongue in cheek, but there is some truth to the comparison - we all ask for forgiveness and atone for our sins before G-d and before man.
From Elizabeth Breier...to...Anthem Opinions
ReplyDeleteGreat article.
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is very special, not just because we are atoning for our sins, but we are asking G-d to forgive us.
We are taught that G-d cannot forgive us until our fellow man has done so.
The Avenu Malkenu (our father our king, forgive us for....) enumerates our misdeeds to our friends, family, neighbors.
I have seen folks who are angry with each other go over and shake hands on this holiday and forgive each other for harsh words or lapses in trust and it is a beautiful thing to see folks "make up" at this time of the year.
We atone for all our sins and ask to be written in the book for a good year as the holiday comes to a close.
The purpose of the fast is so there are no distractions from prayer. A truly religious person will not be distracted by electronics or food or anything other than prayer on this day.
I have often explained to gentile friends that while they go to confessions and ask forgiveness for their sins on a regular basis, we Jews "save it up" and do it all in one 24 hour period.
I say it with tongue in cheek, but there is some truth to the comparison - we all ask for forgiveness and atone for our sins before G-d and before man.
From Michelle Murlin...to...Anthem Opinions
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful article.
Thank you for explaining that. I always wondered myself... It was nice to get a little personal info on you and your background, too!
From Jill from Chicago...to...Anthem Opinions
ReplyDeleteAs always , beautifully written.