COMING UP....
Rosh Hashanah is now behind us...and what a lovely time it was! A time of remembering and reflecting... recognizing
G-d as our Creator, King and Savior! Now as we are entering the 10 days of awe(10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), we are looking ahead to Yom Kippur(The Day of Atonement)
"Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the L-RD.
And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the L-RD your God.
For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people.
And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people.
You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath." Vayikra/Leviticus 2:27-32
I struggle to put Yom Kippur into words, partly because it is such a deep and holy day, and partly I think because it is so misunderstood.
Misunderstood I think because we have lost a sincere fear of HaShem and so just thinking of standing before Him in total brokenness, calling upon His Name (character and promise = merciful, long-suffering, slow to anger etc.) and pleading with Him to remember no more our transgressions and to forgive our iniquities, seems like a terrible thing to our white washed, feel good, "G-d is my buddy" mindset.
Well G-d isn't our "buddy", He is a holy and awesome Elohim. He has absolutely no reason to extend mercy or forgiveness to us. However He, in His abundant mercy, promises that if we humble ourselves and "shuv", turn, to Him and confess our iniquities He
will be faithful and just to forgive us.
Yom Kippur is often called the "holiest day of the year" and how true as the restoration of our relationship with HaShem is the most holy thing we could ever desire!
May we all seek to have this Yom Kippur be a day to be cleansed anew, purged and restored to be vessels set apart for holy use...not only individually but corporately....Knowing that while we may come before the King broken and remorseful for our errors and rebellion He is no less Just in His mercy...aka something has to give for us to have life...the One who demands payment became the payment Himself....fully Just, fully Merciful. It's truly only
by His grace that we even have the opportunity to come before him in repentance.
May the Holy One speedily bring us all to true repentance and hasten the return of Mashiach, speedily and in our days!
May you have an easy fast!
The Fast of all Fasts - what it looks like
Yom Kippur is what is called a "hard" fast. Unlike the "easy" fasts, of the 10th of Tevet and others, it is a full 24hrs(sundown to sundown) instead of only 12(sun up to sun down). Neither food or water is consumed, bathing for pleasure is avoided, and wearing leather products*. The book of Jonah is traditionally read, and much of the day is spent in prayer.
It is customary to wear white on Yom Kippur to remind us that though our sins be as scarlet we shall be made white as snow:
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the L-rd: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18
The fast is broken at sundown and traditionally the shofar is blown to signify the end of the fast, after the shofar is blown the entire mood of the day switches from solemnity to joy! In complete faith that G-d has heard our cry, seen our tears, and will be faithful and just to His promise to hear the cry of those that call upon Him:
The L-RD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The L-RD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. Psalm 145: 17-19
Fast Exceptions
Life always trumps everything so those who's health would be threatened by going without food or water(and by health I don't mean "comfort" I mean it would be unsafe to do so) are always exempt from the obligation to fast. Others who wouldn't be obligated(in fact not permitted!) to the full fast are: pregnant women who are very near their delivery date(or just given birth) and children under nine years.
Older children and women from the third to seventh day after childbirth and nursing mothers are permitted to fast but may break it at any time if they feel they need to. If one has a question whether doing a hard fast could be detrimental to their health(if you have an chronic illness, nursing etc) it is recommended they consult with their physician prior to the fast.
For those unable to due a full fast for any of the above reasons, many choose to do a veggie fast or cracker fast...basically do what you can do...just because you can't go without food and water for 24hrs doesn't mean you have to have a extravagant three meals plus snacks on the day. Your doctor should be able to give you some advice on this too.
*Leather is considered to be a material of comfort or affluence, on a day where we are called to humble/afflict our souls it hardly seems like the appropriate material. In like manner one doesn't bath for pleasure for the same reason, we are humbling ourselves and so engaging in a self satisfying hot bath might make you loose your focus.
