Jewish High Holy Days - Atonement and Forgiveness

This week we talked about more Jewish Holidays, specifically about the High Holy days. High Holy days happen during the month of the Jewish New Year, September. The High Holy days start with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year; then comes Yom Kippur, the day of atonement; then followed by Sukkot, which commemorates the 40 years of wandering in the desert living in temporary shelters.

We learned about the month of Elul which is the month of preparation before the High Holidays. We also learned the ten day period between Rosh Hashanah is called aseret yemei teshuvah. The first night of Yom Kippur is kol nidre.

We talked about the major concepts, prayers, readings and rituals for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah literally means head of the new year. Like the American New Year, the Jewish New Year is also a time to reflect on the past year's events and changes, and making plans for new changes in the coming year. The New Year is like is not to be spent working, like Shabbat. The rituals are a bit different than Shabbat to have different meanings. People traditionally eat sweet foods to represent the sweetness of the New Year such as apples, honey and pomegranate. Rosh Hashanah is two days followed by Yom Kippur 7 days later.

Yom Kippur

It is said that the Book Of Life opens on Rosh Hashanah and closes on Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is another fasting holiday that starts at sundown the night before and ends at the next sundown. It is known as the day of atonement, and it's core concept being teshuvah which means repentance. It is also centered around bein adam l'makom (sins with God) and bein adam l'havero (sins with others). Teshuva is only to atone for sins between people and God. An example would be eating a forbidden food or working on Shabbat. Sins between  human beings must be forgiven between the two people.

This is a really interesting concept to me because I was always taught praying for your sins is what you needed to do to be forgiven. In typical Jewish fashion, we began to tear about the translations of teshuvah, known as the Laws of Teshuva from the Mishneh Torah.

Laws of Teshuvah

The laws come from the Mishneh Torah which is the code of the religious Jewish law, one part of the Talmud. We read some very insightful text from the Mishneh Torah.

What is complete teshuvah? A person who confronts the same situation in which he sinned when he has the potential to commit the sin again, and, nevertheless, refrains and does not commit it because he has resolved to live differently and not because he is being watched or is physically unable.

I loved this one because it really makes you accountable, and forces you to face your problems head on. It's important message of change.

It is forbidden for a person to be cruel and refuse to be appeased. Rather, one should, be easily pacified, but hard to anger. When the person who wronged you asks for forgiveness, you should forgive him with a complete heart and a willing spirit. Even if he aggravated or wronged you severely, he should not seek revenge or bear a grudge.

I also really loved this one because it teaches you the importance of forgiving (for most things) and moving on. No matter how mad you are and no matter your excuses, it is always better to forgive and move on. Judaism understands this, while it is very hard for us to actually carry out this practice.

It is also said that the one seeking amends should try 3 times with the other person. However, if after 3 times the one who was wronged does not accept the apology; then it also becomes their problem. Another twist to this lesson makes it even more interesting. It brings in the dynamic of both parties because Judaism, again, understands that it takes two to right a wrong.

Passover - The Master Story

Today we had a mock Passover Seder at the University. I had my first Passover with my love this year and it was quite overwhelming with a bunch of Israelis that rarely spoke English. I was simply an observer and had no idea what was going on. In class we talked about the spring cleaning before Passover, what is included on the Seder table, and the traditional story passed down from the Passover Master Story. Passover is one of the most commonly celebrated Jewish holidays. It is said that about 85% of Jews celebrate Passover, 50% celebrate the High Holy Days and 25% celebrate Shabbat.

The Master Story

With that statistic in mind, Passover is said to be one of the most important holidays because it passes down one of the most important traditions known to Judaism which came from the Exodus. It is of the utmost importance to remember the freedom from slavery. From the Haggadah, it is said that "In every generation, each person is obligated to see/show themselves as though they personally came out of Egypt".

The same way we learn behavioral quirks and habits from our parents is the same way children in Jewish families are taught this ritual. It's no wonder so many Jewish people celebrate this holiday ritually more than others. We also discussed why and the outcome of the Dalai Lama searching out Jew's advice on the secret for surviving in exile. He admired the long lasting traditional aspect of Judaism, and became very interested after he went into exile from the Communist takeover. In short, the Rabbis who attended this meeting with the Dalai Llama explained that keeping tradition and the story of the Torah alive is what has allowed Judaism to live on so prevalantly for so many lifetimes.

Then we talked about 3 metaphors for the Passover traditions:

Wherever you are; it’s probably Egypt.

Although we may not notice the oppression, the world and our lives are never perfect.

There is a better place, a world more attractive, a Promised Land.

We talked about these metaphors meaning that just as God promised the Israelites a land, we can always make ours better. Comfortableness and predictability makes us complacent. The only way to this Promised Land is through the wilderness. There is no way to get there except by joining together and marching. Life is better when we work together, but that does not mean it will be easy.

Passover Food Prohibition 

I learned that because the Israelites did not have enough time to wait for the bread to rise, hametz is a food prohibition, and for Ashkenazi Jews neither is kitniyot. Hametz is anything with yeast in it or that rises such as wheat, barely, oats, rye and spelt. Kitniyot are not grains, but look like grains like rice, corn, legumes and soy. Because touching, seeing, and eating hametz (and kitniyot for some) is completely prohibited there are cleaning rules. 

Passover Spring Cleaning 

It can’t be a coincidence that Passover is during Spring cleaning because there is a whole set of rules for spiritual spring cleaning. This is the time to Jews get OCD on cleaning. From what I hear and read about it, it is not a pleasant experience. The rule for cleaning is: the way it goes in is the way it goes out. This means if you boil with it you clean it with boiled water; if you bake it then you bake it to clean it. Metal and glass pots and pans, and utensils are cleaned with boiling water. Baking dishes and grills are cleaned by being baked. Countertops, ovens and other spaces are cleaned with boiling water. Some items cannot be cleaned at all for Passover like a toaster; thus they are simply put away or given away. I remember throwing away all of the wheat products in the apartment last year, but since we didn't have Passover at our place -- I think that's about all we did. We'll see how next year goes when I'm more observant. 

Passover Seder Table 

Everything on the table is symbolic in order to immerse yourself in the tradition and never forget the story of freedom; the story of the weak overcoming the strong. The food on the Seder plate represents the act of enslavement, the bitterness, the sacrifices made, the renewal, and the freshness of a new start. Some other things I had never heard about were Elijah's and Miriam's cup. In short, Elijah was a prophet who did not exactly die in the same terms we're used to seeing, but he was miraculously lifted into the heavens. His cup is traditionally set out and filled with wine and a door opened so that he can join the Seder. He is linked to rescue and announcing of the Messiah; thus his prevalence in this holiday as well as others. Miriam's cup is used for somewhat of the same nature: to invite a well respected individual to the celebration of freedom. She was the sister of Moses and her cup is filled with water to represent the mysterious well that followed the Israelites through the desert, as well as the spirit and support of women.

My Beliefs on Shabbat Obligations

My Beliefs

Belief is actually quite a strong word for me, I don't have many spiritual or religious beliefs at this time. However, as we move through the historical holiday review and meanings behind rituals, I am surprisingly relating to a lot of it. It's weird that this is such a revelation for me.

I always seemed to think people of a certain faith had the exact same beliefs, meaning they were all idiots together. That is sounding ignorant now that I repeat it to myself, but it's the truth! It's one of the reasons I did not want to associate with anything. I didn't want to be grouped together with a bunch of religious wackos, I want to be me and make my own decisions. I never practiced any faith so I have no frame of reference. Although my boyfriend is not what he calls "religious"; he says he keeps tradition and I can see how engrained his Jewish identity is.

Holiday Review

Today we reviewed the holidays and discussed Shabbat in more detail. I'm feeling like I'm in a much deeper exploration phase now, and now the feelings of uncertainty about my beliefs are awakening again. I'm also thinking about how I'll assimilate into the religion.

I can easily relate to Rosh Hashanah as the New Year, as everyone else can because Americans are used to making New Year's resolutions. I realize it is definitely met with more seriousness about the quality of your life rather than making a resolution to quit smoking and giving up after a week. Resolutions aren't successful, but an obligation is. A resolution is defined as firm determination, or a course of action determined. An obligation is defined as a binding promise or sense of duty.

What's the difference here? The difference is between a want and a need. People try to commit to changes all the time, but the fail when they don't feel a psychological obligation to the commitment. Resolutions are not what define you, but obligations do; maybe that's why people are more prone to follow through with changes/choices in their lives when they are committed to their religious obligations.

Jewish Holidays

From what I've been told about the AJU conversion course, the core of the conservative conversion process is based on your knowledge of the holidays. I know of very few Jewish holidays and absolutely no knowledge of why they are holidays. We learned there are 3 cycles of holiday stories: the Jewish people's stories, the Jewish personal stories, and the Jewish holidays of history stories.

Jewish People's Stories

The Jewish people's stories are biblically centered around harvest days. These are the original holidays. Since there is no harvest in the winter, there is not an original winter holiday. You may be thinking Hanukkah, but it does not have anything to do with wintery Christmas stuff. Hanukkah is not a biblical holiday so it is under the history stories. The core of the Jewish people's stories are Passover (which I've heard of), Shavuot (never heard of it), and Sukkot (never heard of it).

Passover
Passover's theme is freedom and redemption from slavery. We are to remember that the world is capable of changing from bad to good, which is also a common theme for Shabbat and quite frankly throughout the religion as a whole.

Shavuot
Shavuot's theme comes from being released from slavery when the people received the Torah. This is when the Jewish people enter into the covenant with God, an agreement to live by the Torah (including the 10 commandments), and in return God will protect and reward the Jewish people with food and land. It was also interesting to find out that the Book of Ruth is read on this holiday because in a way all Jews were converts on this day; meaning they opted in to the covenant.

Sukkot
Sukkot is one of the 8-day holidays. This holiday's theme remembers the 40 years of wandering in the desert to find their Promised Land. Because of the 40 years of wandering without a home, the Jewish people were forced to build temporary "homes" while traveling. Sukkot is meant to celebrate the anti-materialistic world and appreciate the struggle made in order to get to where you want to be. It is also celebrating the ongoing commitment and faith of finding their new land.