Yom Kippur

Growing up, Yom Kippur was a day that was set apart from the rest of the year: I got a day off from school, making my non-Jewish friends sick with envy (suckas!); I sat through services at synagogue, hungry, grouchy, and trying to not talk smack about people in the congregation; and the tradition concluded with going to my cousin's house in Philadelphia to break the fast, with ridiculous amounts of food and loud conversation. Yom Kippur was, and always will be, a time to spend with family.

But after studying Yom Kippur for the past few weeks, I have a new appreciation and reverence for this very holy day. Yom Kippur is translated as the "day of atonement." It is the culmination of the period of time in which we ask for forgiveness for our sins. For 25 hours, we communally confess our sins, we physically afflict ourselves (fasting), and we petition to be inscribed in the symbolic "Book of Life" for the coming year.

We stand before God, and essentially say, "I can do better. I want to do better. Please help me to do better."

I learned many things over the past month about the laws and philosophies of the High Holy Days. It's all very fascinating, and gives me a greater understanding and insight into what the day is really about. But the most meaningful learning that I did was a "Practical Repentance Workshop." 

We were asked to write down our answers to a series of questions. Here is a selection of them:

• How can I be a better daughter/son? A better sibling? A better roommate? A better student?
• Who are two people (that love me) that I should ask for forgiveness from?
• Who are two people (that might not love me) that I should ask for forgiveness from?
• Two things that I did this year that I'm most proud of.
• Two things that I did that don't reflect the "real me."
• How can I go about becoming the best me?

The word for "sin" in Hebrew can also mean to "miss the mark." This workshop was a time to honestly reflect and ask myself: How have I missed the mark this year? What are the areas that I need to improve in the coming year? And what are the practical steps to do this?

"I can do better. I want to do better. Please help me to do better."

For all of you out there who are observing the holiday, I wish you an easy and meaningful fast. And as all the buses in Israel now say, g'mar chatima tova! May you be inscribed in the Book of Life!