October 9, 2008 12:12 PM
Today is Yom Kippur
For about a year, I've subscribed to Aish.com - a Jewish e-zine - and found lots of wisdom and insight to grow by.
Today is Yom Kippur and thanks to Aish.com, I understand the meaning:
Getting Unstuck on Yom Kippur
by Azriel Hirsh Friedman
God wants to help. Just ask Him.For years I attended Yom Kippur services without having any idea why I went. Yet I sensed that Yom Kippur was more than just a long day at synagogue waiting for dinner.
Anyone who works hard knows the feeling as vacation approaches. The workload becomes unbearable as you begin to fantasize about sitting on the beach. Yom Kippur is like the soul's yearly trip to a heavenly spa resort. The soul knows that at the end of the day, it will come out refreshed and pampered like a new baby.
The Hebrew word for that spiritual spa treatment is kapara. Just by showing up to synagogue and going through the service we are saying: "God, I am a wreck. I don't know how I got this way. And now I'm stuck. Please help me."
Everyone knows about the New Year's resolutions that are not kept. The reason New Years' resolutions fail is because in order to change, we first need kapara. Kapara means that God is personally picking us out of the mud in order that we can succeed in changing to become better people.
Read entire article here.
The emphasis on the personal relationship with God resonates with me. As well as the spiritual foundation of taking responsibility, admitting wrongs, and asking for forgiveness. Though I'm Catholic because I believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah, we do share a lot of common heritage through Scripture and history.
Just wondering if there are any readers out there who would like to share more insights on Yom Kippur. I would love to hear more.
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