From the Desk of Cheryl Hauer
Yom Kippur is the holiest and most awesome of all the days of the Jewish year. It is a period of fasting from all food and water for 25 hours. But it is also an opportunity rarely found in our crushingly busy 21st Century Western lives to focus on nothing … NOTHING but the Lord, allowing His love to draw us into a precious level of intimacy. The following excerpts taken from 60 Days - A Spiritual Guide to the High Holidays by Simon Jacobson allow us a glimpse into the importance of this very special day to the Jewish people.
“Yom Kippur is the holiest and most awesome of all the days of the Jewish year, the peak experience of the Days of Awe and the High Holidays:
It is the day when the verdict that was written on Rosh Hashanah – who shall live and who shall die – is finally sealed.
It is the day when we confess our sins to God and beg that they will be forgiven.
It is the day when the Ten Days of Teshuvah, or repentance, come to an end, and we are presented with the last and best opportunity to return … to God.
It is the wedding day between God and the Jewish people as Moses comes down from Mt. Sinai with the second set of tablets.
Yom Kippur is the convergence of the holiest in space, time, and man, as the holiest part of man enters the holiest space on the holiest day.
On this day, we immerse ourselves entirely into the world of the sublime, minimizing in every way our interaction with the material, pluralistic, fragmented world. We consume no food or drink, nor do we engage in marital relations. We do not bathe, anoint ourselves with creams or perfumes, or wear leather shoes, which symbolize luxury. We wear white and spend most of the entire day in the cocoon of the synagogue, immersed in prayer.
We invest all our energy in this day because on Yom Kippur, anything is possible. This we know from the very first Yom Kippur, the day that gave birth to hope. If ever there was a day to begin anew, it is on Yom Kippur. This is the day when we have the power to ask for anything we want and to achieve our deepest goals and dreams. Yom Kippur is the single most important day in our lives.”
More and more Christians are recognizing the importance of the Biblical holidays, those very special times God has set aside to meet with His people. Some are acknowledging the holidays and praying for the Jewish people as they celebrate with age-old traditions. Others are observing these special times themselves in various ways. So, whether you choose to join the Jewish people in their 25-hour fast, or use the day as an opportunity to draw nearer to the Lord in repentance and rejoicing, the following Yom Kippur prayer is a beautiful reminder of who God is. And who we are. We are His.
Pardon us, forgive us, grant us atonement -- for we are Your people, and You are our God; we are Your children, and You are our Father; we are Your congregation, and You are our portion; we are Your inheritance, and You are our lot; we are Your flock, and You are our Shepherd; we are Your vineyard, and You are our Watchman; we are Your handiwork, and You are our Creator; we are Your beloved ones, and You are our Beloved; we are Your treasure, and You are our God.
Blessings and Shalom,
Issachar Community