2 holiest days to Jews little noted by gentiles

Most people who hold a few notions about Jewish culture know of two holy days: Passover (which coincides with the Christian Easter) and Hanukkah (which roughly coincides with Christmas). That's about it.

The irony is that two Jewish holy days that mean the least to the casual observer — Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — may well mean the most to Jews themselves. The world has just come through Rosh Hashanah for this year. It was on Sept. 30. Now we're headed to Oct. 9 and Yom Kippur.

The two "high holidays" are forever linked in the minds of Jews — like "Adam and Eve" or "Jacob and Esau." Rosh Hashanah comes first. Known as the "Jewish New Year," it is really much more. It is the day the Jewish people believe God created the world. The shofar — the ram's horn — is sounded and the people take time to contemplate their lives. As the days from Rosh Hashanah flow toward Yom Kippur, people will sometimes throw bread crumbs into flowing water to symbolize the casting off of their sins. They will eat honey and fruit — especially pomegranate — to symbolize the sweetness they hope awaits them in the months to come.

Where the New Year in the West was 2008 last January, this is the year 5769 for Jews (the year appearing on newspapers in Israel).

During last year's observance, Orthodox Rabbi Benny Zippel of Chabad Lubavitch of Utah told the Deseret News that during Rosh Hashanah, Jews "cut a deal with God, so to speak. We make new year's resolutions upon ourselves to improve our ways, and in return, we ask God to bless us and our children with health and sustenance throughout the coming year.

"It really isn't that much different than parents and children resolving their differences. We walk away from the services with a wonderful, positive felling — full of motivation and hope for the coming months."

Yom Kippur is traditionally the pinnacle of the year. It means "Day of Atonement" and for 24 hours — from sundown to sundown — the Jewish people refrain from work, fast and attend synagogue. This is a day to atone for sins committed during the preceding year, as set aside in Leviticus 16: 29-30. The difference in Yom Kippur and Christian traditions is that sins that must be atoned for on Yom Kippur are sins committed against God, not other people. You must go to those you've offended to seek forgiveness for sins against them.

The fast is for 25 hours. And when Jews refrain from work, for many that means not operating machinery of any kind. Hence, many will avoid riding in automobiles or operating things like microwave ovens and telephones for a day, since operating devices entails working. The Talmud also specifies other restrictions that are not as well-known, such as wearing cosmetics, bathing, wearing leather shoes and remaining chaste for the day. (Such restrictions don't apply where life and health are a concern.) Perhaps the most important aspect of Yom Kippur is prayer. As Abraham Heschel, one of the great Jewish minds of recent times, wrote about Jewish customs, "What is the worth of celebrating the Seder on Passover Eve if it is nothing but a ceremony? An annual re-enactment of quaint antiquities? Ceremonies end in boredom and boredom is the great enemy of the spirit. A religious act is something in which the soul must be able to participate; out of which inner devotion, kavanah, must evolve."

In other words, for all their external manifestations, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are really internal celebrations. They are days set aside for not only soul-searching, but soul-cleansing and soul-awakening.

That inner reality is what has kept the days alive, vital and fresh in the lives of Jews for several thousand years.

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E-mail: jerjohn@desnews.com

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