Friday sunset will usher in the single most important day in the Jewish caledar, the Day of Atonement. I was thinking the, while many Christians and other non-Jews sample Jewish practice at a Passover seder or Shabbat service, non Jews very rarely participate in Yom Kippur observances. Likely it's because Yom Kippur is not fun. This is strange; whereas Christians build their churches large enough to handle the Christmas and Easter crowds, we build our synagogues with the Yom Kippur crowd in mind. Yom Kippur, the Great White Fast, is usually the last observance an assimilating Jew surrenders. Even VERY secular Jews will fast and spend the day at Temple. It is a miserable but somehow necessary annual ritual. I invite my non Jewish friends to attend a service if at all possible. (Some Temples are crowded and tickets may be nessessary) if you really want a chance to see into the soul of Judaism. I assure you, whether Reform or Orthodox, that soul is laid bare on Yom Kippur. Unless your prayerbook Hebrew is pretty good, go to a Reform or Reconstructionist service. Conservative and Orthodox will be a meaningless babble.
Thanks for the invitation. My first knowledge of Yom Kippur was when Sandy Koufax refused to pitch the first game of the 1965 World Series.
Likely a few more Shuls than Naval bases in Las Cruces but...well, you don't do anything the easy way, do you?
decimon, It DOES seem like I made my life unnecessarily complicated, doesn't it? Actually, my own Temple (Reform) is the only show in Las Cruces. I would much prefer a Conservative shul, but our community does a good job of catering to as many tastes as possible. There are Reform, Conservative and Lubavicher congregations in El Paso, 40 miles away but I rarely need to go down there. There's also a Navy Reserve Center!
I like to say I'm part Osmotic Jew as a result of growing up (debatable) in a predominantely Jewish area of NYC. There, the Conservative temple had a drive-thru window. The Reform temple was less strict. Do the Lubavitchers have Mitzvah Tanks as they do elsewhere?
The punter for the New England Patriots, Josh Miller, caught a lot of flack a few years back when he did play a game on Yom Kippur. His reasoning was convincing enough....the team only has one punter, it's not like the coach can just put in someone else for the game. On a related note, the sector that I patrol is very high-crime, most people are on welfare or in very low-paying jobs. However, plunked right in the middle of one of the worst neighborhoods in my sector is a an Orthodox synagogue. It's been there for 80+ years, and I'm amazed that it's still around, since the Jewish population in that area is pretty much zero now. They just got a new Rabbi, a very nice guy in his mid-20's. I've met him, his wife, and his infant daughter. He's got his work cut-out for him, but I wish him the best.
I have done as you suggest more than once. It is a very good idea. Best wishes for the remaining Days of Awe. _______________________________ Every Christian cleric who is tempted to clutter up Christmas and Easter (esp. Easter) with pageants, kiddie hour, and other atrocities should be compelled to do this as a profound example of the seriousness of liturgy and as a reminder that there is no more solemn human need than atonement with God.
I’m hesitant to add some humor to a serious subject but here goes… Don Drysdale filled in for Koufax in Game 1 of the 1965 World Series. He gave up seven runs in less than three innings. When the Dodger manager took him out of the game, Drysdale is said to have commented to him “Based on how I pitched today you probably wish I was Jewish too.” All's well that ends well. Koufax pitched a shutout in Game 7 and the Dodgers were World Champs.
Most observant Catholics-and many other "old school" Christians from denominations fewer generations removed from the Jewish faith-observe Good Friday in a way that is somewhat similar to Yom Kippur. In the Catholic tradition, it is a day for very somber observance in the church, devoid of celebration or the decoration to appear two days later on Easter Sunday, as well as fasting and reflection. Curiously, while it represents one of the key tenets of Christian faith, it is usually one of the first observances to fall by the wayside for "casual" Christians in favor of the more joyous occasions of Christmas and Easter. Because the occur in differing parts of the calenedar year, I never really drew the connection between the two practices until working for a Jewish day school a few years back.
My grandfather--who was scandalized in his village in Russia when he declined Bar Mitzvah at 13--distinguished things this way, in the story of the Jew who wanted a barokah, a blessing, said over his new Maserati. Orthodox rabbi: "What's a Maserati?" Conservative rabbi: "I will consider it and get back to you." Reform rabbi: "What's a barokah?"
