Please join us in shul for Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur is a paradox of a holiday. On the one hand, we are told ve'initem et nafshoteichem, you shall afflict yourselves on this day through fasting, refraining from perfume, leather shoes, and sexual pleasures. On the other hand, the rabbis tell us that Yom Kippur is one of the happiest days of the year, a chag on which we are to celebrate through feast and drink.
To solve this paradox, our tradition has split the difference. We do not eat or drink during Yom Kippur, but we enjoy a festive meal just before the holiday, a meal whose joy can carry us through as we celebrate Yom Kippur itself.
Often this pre-fast meal is overlooked as a necessary means of tiding over our appetites before the big fast of Yom Kippur. However, tonight, as you eat, I encourage you to feast like any other holiday. Enjoy the people around you as you did ten days ago during Rosh Hashanah. Make festive foods like on a Shabbat or a holiday. Take an extra helping of desert, and have that glass of wine. Let the meal not only tide over your appetite, but carry you through the day that follows with joy and celebration.
Please note that while fasting is an integral part of the observance of Yom Kippur, our tradition has made broad allowances to those who cannot fast. If your doctor does not recommend it, do not fast. If you struggle with disordered eating and fasting has long-term negative consequences, then avoid fasting. For those who can fast, the practice is good for our souls; for those who cannot, it is harmful to our souls. Take care of yourself.
Have a gut yohr and may you be written and sealed in the book of life!
-Rabbi Eitan Bloostein
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