PLATTSBURGH — Rosh Hashana began sundown on Oct. 2, and Yom Kippur begins today at sundown.
This is a seemingly late start to the High Holidays of the Jewish faith tradition.
“Because the Hebrew calendar is based on the lunar calendar, there is a variation when holidays will fall,” Rabbi David Joslin of Temple Beth Israel said.
“A few years ago, Rosh Hashana fell right after Labor Day. I don’t think it will be that early again. It can fall as late as mid-October. There is a variation. Sometimes, it’s early. Sometimes, it’s late.”
At Temple Beth Israel in Plattsburgh, Yom Kippur services also known Kol Nidre (Aramaic for “All Vows”) begins today at 8 p.m.
“Kol Nidre is the beginning of the Yom Kippur service,” Joslin said.
“It’s when we ask God basically for forgiveness for all the promises and vows that we didn’t keep the the last year. It’s an acknowledgment that there are things that we didn’t quite live up to.”
In Judaism, Rosh Hashana, a New Year celebration, was the impetus for this period of intense reflection, repentance and renewal.
“It began the 10-day period known as the Days of Awe,” he said.
“The 10 days is an internal audit of who or what we were in the last year. Essentially, are we proud of ourselves in the last year? It’s also an acknowledgment in the year to come that things may be very different for us. We may have a change of fortune, but life is precious. We don’t know what will happen in God’s book of life. There are some things new around celebrating life in the New Year but also an understanding that we don’t have an endless amount of years in our life. Life is precious. We have an obligation to work on ourselves and improve ourselves year to year and we try to be the best version of ourselves.”
Jews acknowledge their shortcomings during a Day of Atonement.
“For really our transgressions,” Joslin said.
“People say sins, but I think sin is too strong a word. We review our transgressions between friends, family, co-workers and the failure and the transgressions between God and us. Those would be the sins that are not so tangible. Were you honest with yourself? These are only things that God knows. A wrong between you and your neighbor? Did you recycle to the best of your ability? Did you vote? Where did you volunteer?”
The Day of Atonement is usually marked by a fast.
“There is a fast for people who are healthy,” he said.
“No eating, no drinking. That’s the big stuff. We are suppose to go without a little bit during the day.”
SUKKOT
The next holiday observance is Sukkot, (booth or hut), which begins four days after Yom Kippur at sundown on Oct. 16 until Oct. 23.
Sukkot symbolizes the temporary dwellings of the Israelites when they wandered in the desert.
“It’s also an agrarian festival,” he said.
“It honors the fall harvest, and we pay homage to God for whatever the first of our fruits were. We would bring them to Jerusalem and offer them to God for hopefully a bountiful crop.”
A Sukkot will be erected at Temple Beth Israel but congregants can build the wooden structure in their yard, woods, or whatever.
“The holiday is celebrated a week,” he said.
“We eat our meals inside the sukkot.”
Etrog, citron, is a symbol of the holiday.
“It looks like a lemon with a bunch of bumps,” Joslin said.
“Together with the lemon you hold the lemon in one hand, and you hold the lulav, the three branches – myrtle, willow and palm — together. They are tied together with a string. It symbolizes the harvest.”