To my Friends in the Gentile community (we call you Goyim, which is not derogatory, it means nations), I’m sure you have heard of Yom Kippur. The below tries to explain the holiday to you in a way you might enjoy…at least it won’t be too Jewish, which is something that secular Jews will appreciate. know about Yom Kippur
Beginning this Sunday night (9/27/20) at sundown is the holy fast day of Yom Kippur, it is one of only two 25-hour fasts on the Jewish calendar (the other is Tisha B’av). know about Yom Kippur
On Yom Kippur Jews give up nourishment, sex, washing, applying lotions or creams, and leather footwear. But let’s face it, after giving up food and sex, do the other three really matter? know about Yom Kippur
A true Yom Kippur story:
Sandy Koufax made national headlines when he refused to pitch in the first game of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur. When Koufax’s replacement Don Drysdale was pulled from the game for poor performance (giving up seven runs in less 3 innings) he told the Los Angeles Dodgers’ manager Walter Alston, “I bet you wish I was Jewish, too.”
Yom Kippur is known as a happy fast. While the holiday is called the day of atonement, that is not the reason for the fast. We’re not fasting as a sign of our atonement. Nor are we denying ourselves ice cream, getting headaches from caffeine withdrawal, and forgoing connubial relations as some sort of sacrifice to God. The Rabbis say we are fasting because we are concentrating so hard on getting as close as possible to the Lord we don’t have time for the other stuff. That’s why it is a happy fast because we believe there is no greater joy than getting closer to God. know about Yom Kippur
Now if you live in a community where people are allowed to attend religious services and happen to see one of your Jewish friends walking to shul (synagogue) on Yom Kippur, there is no need to hide. Thankfully the caffeine withdrawal headaches or the hunger pangs Jews get on Yom Kippur are not contagious.
Should you want to know what to say to your Jewish friends. allow me to suggest that you avoid, “Hey, you hungry yet?” Two good things to say are, “have an easy fast” or “may God Seal you in the book of life.”
Of course, we don’t really believe the creator of the universe sits on a heavenly throne, writing people’s names in a book (if he did, I am sure he would have a powerful iPad-like machine with tons of RAM). know about Yom Kippur
Note to my Gentile friends if you see a Jew walking to on Synagogue on Tuesday night, ” Hey wanna come over for a beer after temple, “is NOT a proper greeting either (neither is the term Temple. There were only two Temples in Jewish history they were atop Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. The last one was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70 CE).
The mental image of God with the book of life is a theme throughout the ten days beginning with Rosh Hashana and ending with Yom Kippur. On Rosh Hashana, we say may God put you in the book…. and then on Yom Kippur, we assume we were put in the book, so we change it to may God seal you in the book, possibly with the assumption that God closes the book at the end of the fast. If he is with us after the fast our maker goes to a friend’s house for whitefish and blitzes.
It’s all symbolic because we believe that God welcomes atonement at any time (but it is easier to do it on Yom Kippur because we have the support and encouragement of the community ).” Judaism emphasizes community, that’s why the Jewish are called Am Yisrael,” the nation of Israel, instead of “Dat Yisrael,” the religion of Israel. Think of a fireplace. Take one ember out of the fire; it quickly dies, but leave it with the rest of the fire. It continues to burn. The faith of a Jew who remains as part of the community continues to burn in his heart.
The Yom Kippur fast will end an hour and ten minutes after sundown on Monday night. For most Americans, this will be a very unusual year. Usually using a computer or television is taboo on the holiday. But because of CoronaVirus, most American Jews will be attending services via Zoom or a similar program. However, if you live in a community where there are live, in-person Yom Kippur services I strongly recommend you stay out of the way of the throng of Jews leaving the Shul and heading for nourishment at the end of the holiday. It is more dangerous than getting between Senator Chuck Schumer and a TV camera. You will be able to tell the mob is coming because Yom Kippur ends with a loud blowing of the Shofar (it has nothing to do with a man driving a car, it’s a ram’s horn converted into a very loud musical horn).
BTW to help Jews remember the day they spent in fervent prayers, many synagogues (including mine) give the children plastic Shofars, as the kids leave shul at the end of the holiday. The toy shofars are louder than the real ones. These plastic noisemakers incite even more prayer. Each and every time one of those dear children blows that obnoxious sounding toy, their parents can be heard groaning, “Oh God!”
It is a tradition that after Yom Kippur is over, Jews go to the homes of friends and/or family and consume large quantities of whitefish, bagels, and blintzes. There are three reasons for this:
First of all, we can play the time-honored game who suffered the most:
” You think you had it rough this year? During my fast, I got such a bad headache that one of my eyes popped out of its socket.”
“Oh yeah, my fast was so bad I passed out and went into a coma.”
“You think yours was bad? Heh! Not only do I have the Yom Kippur a headache, but my Rabbi’s sermon was six-hours-long, and he copied it from the Democratic Party position papers. It was so bad few congregants killed themselves so they wouldn’t have to hear any more
The second reason is obvious; people are starving and need to eat. Not everyone has the strength to prepare a meal, so to be fair, we switch it from family to family every year to spread the “burden” around.
The final reason is that we shouldn’t go near non-Jews after the holiday (NO, this is not some sort of Hebraic bigotry, nor is it a commandment). We are trying to do you Gentiles a favor. Along with the activities I mentioned above, during the 25 hours of the fast, we are not allowed to wash, bath, or put on any lotion or scent. We haven’t brushed our teeth or used mouthwash either. After almost a full day of hanging out with other Jews in what always seems to be a hot Synagogue, the Jews cease being “God’s Chosen People.” Instead, we become “God’s Rather Pungent People.” Therefore after the fast, we tend to hang amongst ourselves because no one else would be able to take the noxious aroma.
Before I end this Yom Kippur primer allow me to take this opportunity to warn you that another Jewish Holiday, Sukkot starts on Friday at sundown which means the period from Tuesday the day after Yom Kippur up until sundown on Friday, is the most dangerous time in the Jewish calendar. The source of the danger is that we build these little huts called Sukkahs. For most Jewish men, it is the only time each year that they use men use tools. Believe me–that is a danger. Although if you see me building you may hear me curse in tongues I didn’t know I knew. More on that after Yom Kippur.
Until then, from the bottom of my heart, I would like to wish all my Jewish friends an easy and meaningful fast. And to all my friends, both Jewish and Goyish:
Gmar Chatimah Tova
May you be sealed in the book (or iPod) of life for a happy and healthy New Year.
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Gentile Yom Kippur
Gentile Yom Kippur