Overwhelmed With A Flash Of Light

When I was a child Yom Kippur was always a difficult day for me. I stood next to my mother in the Synagogue watching in awe all the women swaying in prayer and dabbing their eyes at certain highlights. Many of them openly wept and this seemed to bring everyone to shed tears.

The men, dressed in their long white kittel robes with cloth footwear, had a mystical look. My father would bless me emotionally before the fast began and he did not speak to me for a full day.

It took time until I grasped the message of the day and then, I was overwhelmed with a flash of light. Yom Kippur is a gift from G-d, an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and begin again. I know what it means to struggle to remove stains. I have thrown out lots of clothing when I could not remove those deeply imbedded stain. But, here comes Yom Kippur, the Golden Opportunity, and it all erases effortlessly. Not really so effortlessly – the day is devoted to reflection, to introspection, to regret and to major decisions for the future – for the days after Yom Kippur. No, for the minutes following Yom Kippur.

That is why the message of the day is Teshuvah – repentance. The Hebrew word teshuvah comes from the word “shuv” – to return. Yom Kippur is a day when we return to that innermost point within ourselves, the point that is authentic and seeks good, the point where I want to be. That is why we do not eat or drink or indulge in physical pleasures on this holy day. We are freed from the shackles of material living. It is our one day of the year when we focus only on that point of returning. What once I thought were difficulties, I now see as wonderful aids to help reach that inner point without distraction.

On Yom Kippur we pray to G-d to grant us life – a good healthy meaningful life. Have you ever thought how the middle two letters of the word “life” are “if”. In our frenzied modern world of constantly racing after more and more, life is full of “ifs.” If I have …, if he or she will …, if my boss … ; if my ifs are granted, then life is worth living. The Hebrew word for life is “chaim.” The middle two letters of the word are the two yud letters. This is the name of G-d. Yom Kippur is a reminder for me that life is only worth living when we inject it with a bit of spirituality – bringing some G-dliness into our relationships and our inner self. That is what Yom Kippur comes to remind us.

Atmosphere is an important feature in all Jewish celebrations. It contributes to the feelings we wish to nurture and to building an appropriate environment. Why not turn to aJudaica to find the items that will put you in the right teshuvah spirit for Yom Kippur? I love the Yair Emanuel Yahrzeit flame lamp. It adds beauty and dignity to the extra candle that we light for the day. Every couple of years, I buy my husband a new kittel. “Le’Chaim,” I tell him. Use it in good health. He has a special pure white Yom Kippur tallit from Gabrielli and I get really excited when I see him take it out of its packaging every year. What about the Shofar blowing that announces the fast is over? Why not present a long picturesque Yemenite Shofar to your Synagogue – a memorable gift?

So, to all of you out there, I wish a fulfilling Yom Kippur that will inscribe us all for a long healthy fruitful life filled with meaningful living.