Some thoughts about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

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Some thoughts about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are quickly approaching. For those of you who don’t know, they are the holiest of our Jewish Holidays. Rosh Hashanah is the New Year of the world’s creation, and the time when Adonai opens the Book of Life. On Yom Kippur it is sealed. As we say “on Rosh Hashanah, it is written, on Yom Kippur it is sealed”. We use this time to apologize to others we have hurt intentionally or not; by our words, thoughts, or deeds. They are ten days apart and when we come to Yom Kippur, we apologize to G-d through our prayers.
There is so much I want to share about what I have just written. Rosh Hashanah translates in English to “head of the year”. Yom Kippur translates to “day of atonement” -also taught by our Rabbis as the day of at-one-ment. As I’m writing this, I just realized I don’t actually know what “ment” means! I’ve always focused on the “at-one” part!
While we can’t change what we have already said, thought, or done, but if we are truly sorry, then we change our future behavior. Notice I didn’t say we can change, or we try to change. The reason I didn’t write it either of those ways is because saying we “can” or we’ll “try” implies it is acceptable if we fail. As an American, and as I live in an overly litigious society, I am well aware that people look for loopholes for dispensation. So, while our trying to change does count, we shouldn’t be satisfied with only trying. Succeeding is the goal.
In that spirit, I apologize for any offense I have caused any of you. My goal in any situation is to help in any way possible. Not just my goal really, more who I am and the soul I have. While I am opinionated and have no problem offering my opinions (you might have noticed!), I do try to do so in a helpful way. I would like to point out that I am also very open to others’ opinions, which is why I always ask for yours! We can’t truly learn in a vacuum, nor can we truly understand something without experiencing it.
As I mentioned earlier, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are separated by ten days. This isn’t only about giving us time to mentally assess ourselves over the past year and trying to remember who we may have hurt or offended and apologize accordingly. While yes, that is a part of it, allow me to redirect your thoughts to the number ten. Numbers in Judaism are very important spiritually. Ten is a very important number and is repeated throughout the Torah numerous times. Twelve spies were sent into Canaan by Moses. Ten reported their fears that we couldn’t take ownership of the land G-d led us out of Egypt to settle in. The land G-d promised Abraham. It is for the sake of, or because of those ten men, that when we go to synagogue to pray, we look for ten Jewish men in order to have a minyan (A forum in English). The same goes for the prayers we say in the shiva house (the house where mourners gather after a funeral), the brit milah otherwise known as the “bris”, as well as other important ceremonial gatherings outside of the synagogue.
You thought I was going to mention the ten commandments first, didn’t you?! Yes, I include those along with numerous other examples replete throughout the Torah.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

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One of the books I read this year was “Edgar Cayce on the Akashic Records” by Kevin J Todeschi. I learned two things relevant to this essay: for one, our Jewish Book of Life which Adonai opens on Rosh Hashanah and seals on Yom Kippur and the Akashic records-as some people including Cayce call them-are one and the same. I thought it was very interesting and thought you might too! By the way, on the cover of

Todeschi’s book-prominently displayed-is a picture of an artist’s rendering of The Book of Life.

The other thing I learned about The Book of Life, or Akashic records, regards the eternal human debate over fate versus free-will. Or rather, how we can reconcile them.

As with essentially everything else I see, hear, or read, I pondered this question for a while years ago. Since then, I have no problem reconciling how I could simultaneously believe in both, despite their seemingly opposite natures. Fate (or in Hebrew, “b’shert”), is commonly understood as the idea that what happens is destined to happen. As a result, this leads some people to conclude we have no free-will. Whereas free-will, or the power of choice, indicates we indeed have a say about our own destiny, and may change it. I’ll write more about this later.

L’Shanah Tovah, May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a year of love, peace, and happiness. May you also experience life so you may truly live.

Let me know what you think!

edited by Kevin A. Weakley

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