All week leading up to Yom Kippur I hear people asking one another, “Are you fasting?” This one ritual of abstaining from food and water for 25 hours has become the central focus of the most sacred day of the Jewish calendar. Historically this was not the case, the purpose of Yom Kippur was “to afflict our souls”. And one of the ways the rabbis understood how to do that was by abstaining from food and water. But the list did not end there.
After giving a parenting lecture one day, a mother approached me complaining that her two-year-old was constantly whining, getting into everything and making her very frustrated. Trying to lighten the mood, I suggested that when she became annoyed, she should tell her toddler three things: “Grow up!” - “Act your age!” - “Don’t be such a baby!” We both laughed. Because, obviously, her child was in the process of growing up, was indeed acting his age, and was still a baby!
This year, tax day is coming on September 24. Most people think that Rosh Hashanah celebrates the Jewish New Year. Except, Rosh Hashanah is one of four new years in the Jewish Calendar. * So clearly it is not like New Years Eve American style. It is actually more similar to April 15 when we account for what we have and what we don’t and we deal with the reality.
