As mentioned in an earlier post, Yom Kippur is the most solemn and serious of all Jewish holidays whose themes centre on atonement and repentance. The idea is to fast and centre yourself and think about the sins you committed over the past year. Unlike Christian confession, it is not about confessing your sins, going out and doing them again and then confessing. Yom Kippur is about repenting for your sins and trying not to repeat them while making yourself a better person. Yom Kippur goes by the Jewish calendar of the 10th day of Tishrei (the seventh month). Ideally total absence from food and drink begins half an hour before the sun touches the horizon and end the next day when the set has completely set behind the horizon . Thus, Yom Kippur last for 25 hours if you discount the half an hour no-eating rule prior to sundown.
2008 or the year 5769 in the Jewish calendar will be my third Yom Kippur. Below I explain the difference experiences of Yom Kippur for 2006 followed by posts of 2007 and this year’s 2008.
Yom Kippur 2006/ 5767
I was living in Manchester at the time and had made some friends through my Hebrew lessons who invited me to spend Yom Kippur with them at their halls of residence. We had to dress smartly and bring our own services (knives and forks). Now at the time, I had only decided to become a Jew in May/June of 2006 and so was not clued up on all the Jewish holidays. I bought myself an amazing purple and grey pringle (argyle) jumper for the event and my friend gave me a Kippa (men’s skullcap) for the event. So I turn up at the Yom Kippur dinner with a bottle of wine, thinking it will be a party. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The kids arranged a wonderful table filled with Jewish food like matzo balls and one girl made Iranian rice which was potatoes at the bottom of a pan and rice above it. Today I think it still is my favourite food. When I asked her why she made Iranian food at a Jewish holiday she explained that her father was an Iranian Jew. Looking around the room, I realised how diverse Jews are; there were as mentioned, Iranian Jews, British blonde Jews, South African, Israelis and now, a new addition to the family; me. At the time they thought I was Israeli and didn’t explain to me the traditions. I on the other hadn’t assumed they knew that I was new to Jewish culture or that we had to fast. So I didn’t eat much – I never feel comfortable eating in public. It wasn’t until later than I knew about the 25 hour fast.
After dinner we made our way to the Synagogue. It was an Orthodox Temple, the strictest form, and I was converting to Conservative Judaism, a little more liberal than Orthodox Judaism but more traditional than Reform Judaism. The Temple was divided into male sections (at the front) and female sections (at the back). All men, as in all Jewish places of worship were obliged to wear a Kippa. The services I think lasted between 2-4 hours and we read from a Torah in Hebrew. As it had only been reading Hebrew for about a month I could make out the first word and then nothing – so I listened to the Rabbi pray and tried to soak in the experience, focusing on my sins and how I could improve myself. The kind man next to me kept showing me the page we should be on and somehow I kept track. Half way through the service we had a speech about redemption (in English) from a man who studied in Bnei Brak, a religious centre just outside Tel Aviv (which made all the old ladies nod with approval).
After the service we returned home to begin our fast. Now Yom Kppur fell on a Sunday and many of the kids didn’t have lectures the next day or were planning to sleep in and miss them order to make the fast more bearable. I on the other hand was already starving by 11pm and had eight hours of lectures on Monday. As I didn’t eat properly I allowed myself to have a cup of tea in the morning and set out for my day. During lectures not eating was okay – but by 4pm I was feeling faint and Yom Kippur, if I remember correctly was meant to end at 7.37pm. By 6.30pm I made my way home and bought a bunch of chocolates for the end of the fast. Most other kids were going to eat dinner again together but my Jewish friend wasn’t a strict observer and so I was to dine alone. You know when you get so hungry that after a point you don’t feel the hunger – well it was like that. By 7pm I was checking the clock every two minutes but by 7.37pm I had actually forgotten then Yom Kippur was over than I didn’t break open the box of chocolates until around 8pm. Then I made dinner and ate with Laverne who at the time lived above me.
My first Yom Kippur. And what did I learn? I research beforehand and that food should not be taken for granted. I was thankful for my Jewish posse for inviting me to dinner and for showing me my friend steps into Judaism. And my sins? Too many to think of. Id need a week of fasting to redeem them
4 comments:
i tried to go on without food, just water, for 3 days but couldn't last for 7 hours or so!
well done :P
but r u crazy? 3 days without food is tough and you know what- dangerous as well...
it's easier to do these things when there is a higher cause let's say, or for religion or with other people. when it's on your own it's harder. I bet if you tried it again even for 12 hours, during Easter let's say, you would do it.
and even in your case, the intention was there - there is an organisation called 24 hours famine, where you are sponsored for 24 hours not to drink or eat anything - of you did it for a cause, then you would do it. believe me!
trust me the cause was some sort of last resort.
due to extreme allergy-like symptoms a doctor told me "perhaps go on without food for 3 days just to allow all the toxins to get off".
i tried...! but naaahh.
ur doctor told u not to eat for 3 days? what? isnt that doing the opposite of making u better?
Post a Comment