The 10th Day of Tishrei.   That’s tonight’s (and  tomorrow’s) Hebrew Date.  Many of you don’t know that means this is the Holy Day of Yom Kipur.  It is considered to be the holiest day of the year.

(You also may not recall that the Tora [the bible] delineates days differently than the secular calendar.  The verbiage – it was evening, it was morning; one day.  As such, All days start when the sun goes down.)

Yom Kipur marks the end of 40 days of introspection, repentance, and preparing ourselves to be better humans and to make the world a better place- with renewed vigor.

The observance of Yom Kipur also means that we neither eat nor drink for some 26 hours.  This abstinence begins before sundown tonight (we need to be in the synagogue to hear the all important prayer- Kol Nidrei- which starts at the moment of the holiday) until 45 minutes after sunset tomorrow.

Yom Kipur is also the 10^th day of the 10 days of T’shuva.   Too often in English, this period is translated as the 10 Days of Repentance.  Of course, that is but one potential translation of the phrase.

A more appropriate choice would be to define it as “a return”.  A return to our intimate conversations and relationship with Hashem, the Supreme Being.  That return makes it possible for us to truly the see the good in everyone (yes, sometimes that is very hard); after all, we are all children of Hashem.  It makes it possible for us to try that little bit harder to make this world a better place.

(Yom Kipur is also known as the “Day of Atonement”, which can also be considered the “Day of At One Ment”…)

No matter what your religion, may you find that return, that intimate conversation and relationship with the Supreme Being.

Given the state of the world today, we all could use that counsel and see our way to making the state of the world better for all of us.

G’mar Chatima Tova…  May you be sealed in the book of health, happiness, and prosperity.

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