Dear friends and family,
Today is Yom Kippur, one of the most important Jewish holidays of the year. When I was growing up, the only way we ever got the day off of school for Yom Kippur was if it happened to fall on a weekend. Regardless, as kids, we always took the day off. In high school I spent my Yom Kippur days doing homework.
Once I started college, things changed a little bit. I couldn’t always be home on Yom Kippur. If it fell during the middle of the week, I couldn’t afford to skip out on a day of classes to be with my family.
This is not the first time I have not been home for Yom Kippur, but it is the first time I’ve been quite so far away. There are no Jews in Taiwan at all, so even if I wanted to “celebrate” (the quotation marks are because Yom Kippur involves a day of fasting) properly, I couldn’t. I’m used to people not realizing that this is a holiday for me, but I have never been quite so isolated in my observance of it.
I am not religious. If I had to describe myself as anything, I would say I’m a cultural Jew. I have no religious beliefs associated with Judaism; I’m simply in it for the food and the good times during the holidays. Regardless, I find myself missing this holiday more than I anticipated; even if I don’t put any stock in it, it is still a family holiday. I have chosen to celebrate it in my own way to feel closer to my family.
In that vein, the generally accepted theme of Yom Kippur is that of forgiveness and atonement. The idea is that you spent the day denying yourself of the things you take for granted, like three meals a day. You remember that many people in the world don’t have consistent access to ample food or clean water. And you reflect—you think about your life during the past year, who you have wronged, who has wronged you, and you forgive and you ask for forgiveness.
We are none of us without fault. We transgress against others just as others transgress against us. To those I have wronged, I hope you will be able to forgive me someday. And to my family—I miss you, and I wish I could be with you today.
5 comments:
When we were kids, I took the Yom Kippur atonement very seriously - to whit, my main task for the day was apologizing to you for whatever I'd done to you over the past year. Most of my transgressions were against you, as a matter of fact:). So, good yontif, and I apologize for my latest transgressions (mainly not being on Skype often enough). Even though you're not here, everyone is thinking of you and will discuss you tonight (where I will not be, because among my many transgressions is not fasting or going to services and teaching my class instead). Miss you too, baby Bek-Bek!
l'shanah tovah
actually there is a temple-ish thing in a hotel in taipei, i believe the taipei times (english news) had an article about it at some point if you want to google it (but yeah, the rabbi is a 外国, ha)
There is a makeshift temple in the Sheraton Taipei - you may want to ask Katie from last year (feikaidi.blogspot.com), because I'm pretty sure her boyfriend went to Yom Kippur services there. I know the time has now passed for both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but if you're interested, ask her :)
Also, just a thought - when Hannukah comes around, you may want to seriously consider bringing it into the classroom - they've barely heard of Christmas in some instances past Santa Claus, and when I briefly mentioned Judaism last year to the 6th graders they were all like WHUH?
You may well be the only Jewish person (culturally or otherwise) they ever meet, so if you feel inspired to do so, I'd say go for it.
I like the Chanukah in class idea! You could ask dad to bring you some of mom's 5,000 dreidles when he comes out.
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