Here’s what Rabbi Roberto Graetz of Temple Isaiah in Lafayette sent to his congregation just before Yom Kippur.
We are reaching the holiest of all Jewish holy days. It is a day of fasting and prayer, of reflection and silence. Rabbi Larry Tabick in a light tone reminds us of the essential nature of the day:
I have been walking for miles
And there is a stone in my shoe
That’s been there for ages.
Why don’t I just
Sit down and take it out?
Though we are full of excuses,
I am too old, too young
Too tired, too lively,
Too ill, too well,
Too busy, too lazy,
Too strong, too weak,
Too good, too bad,
Too big, too small,
To repent.
We are not supposed to give up the effort
Rosh Hashanah is like having an eye examination:
Are we seeing the world and ourselves in the proper perspective?
Yom Kippur is like getting new glasses,
But will we wear them?
Will we allow ourselves to get used to them
Or let them sit in a drawer
Gathering dust
‘Till next year?
May you have a meaningful fast and you and your loved ones be sealed for a year of health, of plenty and of peace.
Rabbi Roberto D. Graetz