Slicha*

In the Jewish calendar the period of “Slichot”, which means forgiveness, is a time of turning inward to reflect and contemplate on our own behavior and our relationships with both humankind and the Divine. Slichot starts prior to the Jewish New Year and leads up to the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the most solemn day of the year, which this year begins at sundown tonight and ends after nightfall Wednesday night.

Image credit: ygurvitz, on Flickr

Yom Kippur is a strange day in Israel. As night falls the streets empty of cars, the incessant noise of car tires is replaced by the shouts of children bicycling on the roads along with roller skaters and young parents out with strollers. It is a stark contrast to the observance of the Jewish calendar’s most holy day by the religious, who are fasting and praying for atonement.

Having grown up in a Conservative Jewish home in the States, where plurality was the norm, it is not the non-observance of my secular neighbors that disturbs me, but the indifferent lack of consideration for those that do. It nevertheless, reflects our sorely divided society. Not having grown up in Israel it didn’t really hit me how wide the divide between religious and secular was until I spoke with an acquaintance who made it clear that their family would have nothing to do with fasting or prayer on Yom Kippur or any other time because of the religious. For her, no wishes for being inscribed in the Book of Life for the coming year or wishing someone an easy fast, Yom Kippur greetings which are for me the distilled essence of the day, and a small light bulb lit up over my head about how non-observant Jewish Israelis view Judaism.

Even though the school system teaches the Old Testament and Jewish holidays from a young age, most Israelis come in contact with the state religion through the local rabbinate or religious council only at key points in their lives, namely birth, marriage and death, and they are met with the strictest, most intolerant form of Jewish observance. If you wish to do something other than the strict orthodox observance of those events, you cannot do so here. No other option is officially available, even with the apparent “official” adoption of other Jewish movements within the State.  Religion, like language,  however, has never been set in stone and clinging to a restricted, narrow form of observance forces the divide even wider, making each party more intransigent and intolerant. Reading the daily newspapers it also seems to me that this intolerance spills over into other aspects of our daily life. It’s a downward spiral.

As we head into this most solemn day on the Hebrew calendar, where introspection, meditation and prayer are mandated, as a Jew and as an Israeli, I will not only meditate on how I can become a better person in the coming year, I will also contemplate the abyss of “Sinat Achim” and hope with righteous actions that it can be bridged.

May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for the coming year and may your fast be an easy one.

(*Meaning, “Excuse me” or “Forgive me”. But, intonation is everything. Said with emphasis, the title of this post could also mean “Say what?!”)

Update: In the Moment’s blog also discusses the issue. Poll: Most Jewish Israelis dissatisfied with government policies on religion

Northern Lights

We’re now going through that odd 2 to 3-week season called autumn here. Both spring and autumn in Israel tend to be short-lived, only denoted by frequent temperature spikes and drops on a near daily basis. Unlike my home state of Minnesota, there’s no real Theater of Seasons here and obviously we don’t have the extremes of weather that come along with it. What makes me know that autumn is in the air is that we are experiencing a wonderfully cool early morning, cool enough that when I wake up I find I’ve covered my shoulders with a light blanket.

Another herald of cooler weather way, way up north are the tweets by@AuroraMAX that the Aurora Borealis is on display in the Yellowknife, NWT area.

AURORAMAX ALERT • An aurora is now visible above Yellowknife, Northwest Territories! Check it out at asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronomy/…—
  (@AuroraMAX) September 19, 2012

The music  in the first video is OK, but the otherworldly sounds made by the aurora itself and the wind can be just as beautiful. And while there’s too much talking in the second video, you can hear the hisses, whistles, crackles and pops that the aurora broadcasts over radio frequencies.

Anyone want to book a flight to Finland with me?

Related:

Northern Lights, Earth’s Auroras, Causes and Facts

Related articles

• Spectacular Northern Lights Photos: September 2012 (space.com)
• Spectacular aurora borealis lights up north (stuff.co.nz)
• Northern Lights Soundtrack: 230 Feet Above Ground, Aurora Borealis Pops and Claps – Slate Magazine (blog) (slate.com)

Book Review: The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid

The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don’t think there’s a child born in the ’50′s, especially those of us who were born and raised in the Midwest, who could fail to identify with this book, from the blissful ignorance and gosh darn cheerfulness of our impending atomic doom, right up to.., oh well, don’t want to give away too many spoilers here.

A fantastic slow walk through our childhood, where indeed anything was possible and likely probable to happen.

View all my reviews

(Posting will be light until I can come up for air, hopefully sometime next week.)

Today’s Recommendation en français

This gallery contains 11 photos.

Currently on detox following a week’s worth of Dordogne and Quercy cuisine (foie gras, cheese, smoked duck/goose, (OMG the) bread, walnuts and wine). On the one occasion where I ordered a beef dish, I immediately regretted it and despite walking several kilometers per day (sometimes almost vertically), I came home with an unwelcome 2 kilo souvenir. […]