Atonement

The past two weeks have been full of services at our local congregation, starting with Rosh Hashanah and then Yom Kippur about a week and a half later. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year and a lot of the traditions are similar to those of the secular calendar year: reflecting on the last year's behaviors and choices, apologizing for transgressions, and planning to do better in the next year. The 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are full of reflection and introspection, culminating in the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Yom Kippur is a day of abstention and repentance, and most people fast while attending services for most of the day. It's meant to be one last day of atonement before the Book of Life is sealed for the new year - one last day to repent and seek forgiveness. Because of my surgery earlier this year, I was not able to attempt the fast this year, although my son did the best he ever has - a challenging task for a 10-year-old boy. But I still did a