Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur is a very un-American concept. This is because it is all about suffering. Americans don’t like to suffer. They do everything in their power to numb the pain with drugs, alcohol, food, shopping, or anything that helps to avoid the root of whatever it is they are feeling. But I have never been a fan of this style of coping. As we know, avoidance only makes things worse.
Being in Israel for a mere two weeks, I am already reminded of how the Jewish way of life is more in line with nature, which has always been more my tune. Evidently, it is only natural that we, as humans will suffer. It’s inevitable —- such is life. Of course, Jews don’t like to do anything by accident, and in turn, created a holiday where they intentionally suffer. Because how could they not!? It might sound crazy, but it seems to me that if it is only once a year, intentional suffering might not be such a bad thing. In fact, it could be quite wholesome, if you do it right. What I mean is, if you do it with intent: with the intention to shed the layers of your past self, to cleanse the body and the soul, to reflect and repent for your past transgressions, and eventually to forgive yourself and the people you love, and start anew.
If we do this every year of our lives, it sets the precedent that every year will be better than the last. This is because we will always grow to be better versions of ourselves, having been given the time and the opportunity and the setting to really sit with the discomfort of knowing we are human, and that we will inevitably make mistakes. And to remember those mistakes. To understand why we made them, where we want wrong, to act on the discomfort by using our words and our eloquence to make it right, and to then move forward, vowing not to let history repeat itself, and doing the best damn job we can in practice, the whole year remembering all that we promised to ourselves and to others.
This is Yom Kippur. It is not just for one day, in actuality. Really, the progress made on this day is fuel for the whole year.
Soul fuel.
As it turns out, the timing of Yom Kippur is really impeccable for me. I could really use a cleanse. A reset. I feel like I have been priming myself to grow as much as possible this year, and I totally have, but I just love how the Jewish calendar gives you a deadline. Like, you should be preparing to reflect right about now, and then after you fast and forgive everyone, you can celebrate life and move forward until next year. It’s incredibly helpful. Anyway, I am just so grateful to be part of a religion that prioritizes being a good human and then gives you the tools to actually do it. What a blessing it is to be in Israel on Yom Kippur. I have been told that it is unlike anything in the world: the streets are completely empty of cars, and people fill the streets and gather together to lessen the blow of hardship, doing yoga, skating, walking, merely existing in harmony for one whole day, and dropping everything else. It is like a giant meditation in which the entire country partakes. How rare to witness such an energy.
I know completely that I am meant to be here right now. Even though living in Israel is hard, it is also indescribably soulful. In every way. There is so much love here, so much purity and goodness. I am soaking it up and living in unison with the energy of this place. The distractions back home were just that: distractions. Here, there is no time or space to lie. All you can do is be the most authentic version of yourself humanly possible. And funny enough, that is the simplest version of all I have ever wanted. Yalla. May we all be the best version of ourselves in this new year to come. Shana Tova!