Comments on: A meaningful Yom Kippur: a Jewish educator’s take on the holiday http://tcjewfolk.com/meaningful-yom-kippur/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=meaningful-yom-kippur Twin Cities Jewfolk: the hub for hip Jewish stuff in Minneapolis and St. Paul Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:07:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Sean Herstein http://tcjewfolk.com/meaningful-yom-kippur/comment-page-1/#comment-109 Sean Herstein Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:15:04 +0000 http://tcjewfolk.com/?p=1239#comment-109 Peter - Thank you for adding your thoughts to the column. I really appreciate your taking the time to give some more specific suggestions. I think that we can all strive to be better. While we need to remember to give ourselves opportunities to appreciate, and feel proud, for the ways we are already successful, we need to take some time to reflect on our deed in this world. Randee - I am glad that I was able to find some words for your feeling. The challenge, obviously, is trying to get past that first reaction. My grades certainly would have improved had I spent a little more time hitting the books in college. So too, I bet that I can improve myself through truly thoughtful instrospection. After all, the Hebrew word for "to pray" (l'hitpalel) literally means "to judge oneself." That's something to consider this Yom Kippur as well. Peter – Thank you for adding your thoughts to the column. I really appreciate your taking the time to give some more specific suggestions. I think that we can all strive to be better. While we need to remember to give ourselves opportunities to appreciate, and feel proud, for the ways we are already successful, we need to take some time to reflect on our deed in this world.

Randee – I am glad that I was able to find some words for your feeling. The challenge, obviously, is trying to get past that first reaction. My grades certainly would have improved had I spent a little more time hitting the books in college. So too, I bet that I can improve myself through truly thoughtful instrospection. After all, the Hebrew word for “to pray” (l’hitpalel) literally means “to judge oneself.” That’s something to consider this Yom Kippur as well.

]]> By: Randee Baron (Glaser) http://tcjewfolk.com/meaningful-yom-kippur/comment-page-1/#comment-107 Randee Baron (Glaser) Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:19:04 +0000 http://tcjewfolk.com/?p=1239#comment-107 """Just feeling that I am “required” to sit in synagogue, pray with more intensity than normal, and pour out my soul to God """"---------that is exactly how I have been feeling, but couldn't put words to it. It is the I'll do it cuz I want ta, not cuz you told me to!...even tho it hasn't changed my "feeling" of that required part of it, I am very glad to have a name for it. “”"Just feeling that I am “required” to sit in synagogue, pray with more intensity than normal, and pour out my soul to God “”"”———that is exactly how I have been feeling, but couldn’t put words to it. It is the I’ll do it cuz I want ta, not cuz you told me to!…even tho it hasn’t changed my “feeling” of that required part of it, I am very glad to have a name for it.

]]> By: Peter Setter http://tcjewfolk.com/meaningful-yom-kippur/comment-page-1/#comment-102 Peter Setter Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:00:54 +0000 http://tcjewfolk.com/?p=1239#comment-102 Yom Kippur is not the only day set aside for admitting mistakes and asking forgiveness, but the culmination of a process of self-evaluation and the first step towards self-improvement. Elul, the Hebrew month leading up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, was set aside for self-evaluation and asking forgiveness from those we hurt. The author's questions are perfect jumping off points for this process. In the minds of our rabbis, Yom Kippur focuses on forgiveness from Ha-Shem, which may only be done after the preparation during Elul. One medieval commentator taught that you cannot receive forgiveness from Ha-Shem until you receive forgiveness from your fellows. Confession and forgiveness are only half the process. The second half is how you change your actions in the coming year, not falling back into your bad habits. If we do not change our ways all our thought and prayer is in vain. The author is correct in writing "This should be done every day!" In the Hebrew calendar, days begin at dusk, so as we lay down to sleep, it is not the end of today but the beginning of tomorrow. Our tradition teaches that evening is an ideal time to evaluate the past day and prepare for tomorrow, starting your day off on the right foot. Further, time on Shabbat should be set aside for self-evaluation. Yom Kippur is a macro-scale version of a process that repeats every day and every week. Yom Kippur is not the only day set aside for admitting mistakes and asking forgiveness, but the culmination of a process of self-evaluation and the first step towards self-improvement. Elul, the Hebrew month leading up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, was set aside for self-evaluation and asking forgiveness from those we hurt. The author’s questions are perfect jumping off points for this process.

In the minds of our rabbis, Yom Kippur focuses on forgiveness from Ha-Shem, which may only be done after the preparation during Elul. One medieval commentator taught that you cannot receive forgiveness from Ha-Shem until you receive forgiveness from your fellows.

Confession and forgiveness are only half the process. The second half is how you change your actions in the coming year, not falling back into your bad habits. If we do not change our ways all our thought and prayer is in vain.

The author is correct in writing “This should be done every day!” In the Hebrew calendar, days begin at dusk, so as we lay down to sleep, it is not the end of today but the beginning of tomorrow. Our tradition teaches that evening is an ideal time to evaluate the past day and prepare for tomorrow, starting your day off on the right foot. Further, time on Shabbat should be set aside for self-evaluation. Yom Kippur is a macro-scale version of a process that repeats every day and every week.

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