Friday, September 13, 2013

Yom Kippur

 Today is Erev Yom Kippur--at sunset, Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish New Year and the Day of Atonement.

In observance of the holiday, I'll be off until Sunday.

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10 comments:

  1. Being a Catholic and knowing nothing of the Jewish faith, should I be doing anything particular for Yom Kippur?

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    1. Blow the trumpet in Zion!
      Sanctify a fast.
      Call a solemn assembly.
      ~ Joel 2:15

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  2. Such a deal! Mazeltov.

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  3. I'm also Catholic. Looking at the name given to this day "Day of Atonement; I would guess it has to reviewing how one has sinned or made errors, feeling contrition (if you really do) then asking for redemption or atonement. We have the sacrament of Confession. We used to enter a dark booth a talk to a priest through a black screen. The priest would then give us a penance, or a way out of this state of being sinful. We'd say a prayer and/or do a good deed for somebody who couldn't stand us. I don't know if today's Catholic schools teach this anymore. Nobody wants anybody else judging them, so they say.

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  4. Melanie Berzon on KCSM played what she has called Jewish jazz all afternoon. Nice ethnic groove.

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  5. @8:10 I researched the term on Google. I've always heard of Yom Kippur but never made the effort to find out what it was all about. It is in fact what you said, a day of atonement. A day where you are asking the Lord for forgiveness of your sins. It is the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people. There are 5 rules or steps that you are supposed to follow from sunset tonight until a bit after sunset Saturday night:

    1.No eating and drinking
    2.No wearing of leather shoes
    3.No bathing or washing
    4.No anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions
    5.No marital relations

    After reading about it I was somewhat interested in trying to see if I could follow the 5 steps to give praise to God. I was actually about to do it, eating dinner early, etc. I then came across some postings online about how Jesus died on the cross for our sins. That is our atonement, etc etc. I then found myself in a bit of a quandary. Do I give praise to God by following the rules of the Jewish people? Or am I somehow turning my back on Jesus by doing it? Suffice to say I just had a drink and might make some pizza rolls.

    Me and Jesus have a good thing going and I don't want to mess that up by breaking any rules.

    I'm open to any sort of education of the Jewish faith by anyone here. It is quite an interesting subject the more I read about it. God bless you all on your special day!

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  6. The day of atonement. Atonement for becoming impatient while Moses disappeared for 40 days on Mt Sinai, and his fellow travelers decided to mimic their persecutors in Egypt by constructing a golden calf (bull) to worship. Somehow they figured out that not working or eating as well as killing a young bull, a ram, seven lambs and a male goat fixes the problem.

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  7. Worked for a so-called News Director late 1970's in Florida. I told him....need to be scheduled off for Yom Kippur. He said no. He also asked in the same sentence why "are you people are so good with money?" Shocked, I replied do you want to borrow some? He got canned a few months later and eventually became a television evangelist in North Florida. True story.

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    1. I think your former News Director was trying to pay the Jewish people a compliment, although done rather clumsily. This is similar to naming a team Redskins, that is done as a high form of respect for the aggression and tenacity of many American Indian tribes. A ball team would not wear the name of something that didn't inspire toward excellence. Some folks used to call these concepts Positive Biases, like "Minnesota Nice". Not meant as a put down at all.

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  8. Anon at 11:42...Minnesota nice and redskin....yes...yes..I see it now..it all becomes so clear when explained by a deep thinker such as yourself. "You people" and a "credit to your race" are probably other phrases you use in our enlightenment "seminars".....

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