The Day of Atonement

Although I identify myself as a "Jew, Christian and Muslim," I am primarily speaking of my acceptance of the teachings about the Lord God, as the Prophets of the three religions revealed Him. That means I’m not concerned with the myriad "rules" for social conduct, which differ from religion to religion. What people should not eat and similar "directions" for daily life pertained to the particular society to which the Prophets originally spoke (though the Ten Commandments are upheld by all three religions). So, I don’t observe every Holy Day the individual religions recognize. But, to honor the religion my parents taught me, I do observe the Holy Days of Judaism — and tomorrow is a big day in the Jewish calendar.

Yom Kippur is the day when Jews are told, by their clergy, to abstain from food and water, so they can better concentrate on their spiritual life. I used to fast, but these days the doctor told me I’ve gotten too old to do without nourishment, which is okay with me! That, however, has made me more conscious of the fact that fasting was never mentioned by Moses, when he conveyed God’s message about atoning for our past transgressions. Moses simply told the people to "…afflict your souls…" (Lev. 23:27). The clergies decided that one way for the rich and the poor, alike, to afflict their souls was to refrain from bodily nourishment. I see the point, but, as a manmade rule, I don’t consider it mandatory. Regretting our sins by asking forgiveness from God and our fellowmen, and truly believing that God forgives us for our acknowledged mistakes, only requires absolute sincerity! Which is not as easy as it sounds. Remembering our errors takes tremendous mental effort—and ACTUALLY believing that God forgives us is an awesome experience!