Yom Kippur

Today is Yom Kippur.  Oddly enough, we've been celebrating it all day, even though technically it only started less than two hours ago.  But since we don't follow the Jewish calendar, it started this morning.

This holiday is a little extra special to me, for two reasons.

1) This holiday, more than any other, we celebrate differently from Orthodox Judaism.

Jews all over the world are practicing self-denial.  They are fasting.  They are refusing pleasure.  For them, Yom Kippur is the holiest, most solemn day of the year.  I respect that.

But I am not Orthodox Jewish.  I am a Christian.  Instead of remembering how a high priest sacrificed the blood of a goat in the Holy of Holies on earth, I remember something else.  Something better.  I remember how the Messiah, the Son of God, entered the Holy of Holies in Heaven, and, as our High Priest, offered Himself, His own blood, as a sacrifice.  On the Cross, Jesus was our Atonement.

Jesus is not only the Passover Lamb, but also the Goat of Yom Kippur.

Because of this great truth, I do not fast.  Rather, I and my family feast, celebrating the Atonement blood-bought by Christ.

2) This is the first Jewish holiday that we've celebrated more than once.

For the past year, our family has observed some of the Jewish holidays (In particular: Yom Kippur, Chanukah, Purim, and Passover)

It's interesting.  Its Yom Kippur, and I have memories of two separate events.  Most significantly is our daughter Sarah.  Last year she just cried and sat in her car seat (since she wasn't even three months old).
But this year, she's 14 months.  She ate.  A lot.  A lot of eating occurred from this ridiculous child.  I guess she just got in the Yom Kippur spirit.

So what's next?  The one Jewish holiday that I originally wanted to celebrate, but did not this past year: Sukkot.

I'll post an article about that on Friday or so when Sukkot starts.

In the meantime, I'm working on an article (one less Jewish), and I'll be writing a few more later as well.

!חג שמך (Khag Sameakh)

(happy holiday)

P.S. If you know an observant Jew, don't tell them that.  Yom Kippur is only solemn to them, not happy.