The Meaning of Holy Days

Rosh Hashanah, which marks the Jewish new year, begins at sundown this Sunday.  This is the beginning of two high holy days in Judaism that occur in a ten day period near the beginning of the autumn season -- the second is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

I was reminded of the Jewish calendar a couple of weeks ago in a "Faith Walk" column in The Kansas City Star.  The essay, "Yearning for High Holidays' Renewal," is a wonderful personal statement of how important holidays can be for us.  The writer, Mike Goodman, explains some of the expectations -- and the hopes -- that he has for these observances this year, partially due to some challenges and griefs this summer.

We each bring expectations to the holidays -- looking forward to spending time with family and friends, having a chance to be off work or out of school, enjoying large meals, giving and receiving presents.  Sometimes these expectations are met; sometimes not.  But I think we get the most out of holidays when we set our expectations aside and just try to be open to the special celebration itself.

Goodman explains his appreciation of this with regard to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, describing how the worship becomes meaningful for him: "The standing and sitting and standing and sitting and mumbling through songs and prayers is one thing, but actually declaring the prayers and exposing yourself raw to them is the true gift of Yom Kippur."

I found great hope and comfort in Goodman's honest reflections.  If you didn't see the column in the paper a couple of weeks ago, I hope you take this opportunity to read it.