Yom Kippur

The Day of Atonement, the most sacred day in the Jewish Calendar.

I spent time this morning with a Jewish lady, who explained about the 25 hour fast, and this year is more special because it falls on Shabbat (the Sabbath). No food, no water, no teeth cleaning or washing. Most of the time will be spent at the synagogue in prayer, asking for forgiveness for wrongs during the past year. The sound of the shofar (ram's horn) marks the end of the holy day.

I found two of my treasures from Israel, a menorah, and a small oil lamp given to me when I visited Nazareth back in 2006, to remind me of the interesting conversation I had today. The sound of the ram's horn, around the walls of Jerusalem as the sun went down at the start of the Sabbath, is an abiding memory.