A Few Yom Kippur Thoughts
Yesterday was Yom Kippur, a day for fasting, prayer, and reflection. I wanted to record and share a few of my thoughts, and a couple of noteworthy moments.
One of the major themes of the day, and of the High Holidays as a whole, is tshuvah. This word is often translated as "repentance", but it also has connotations of turning around and of answer or response. It occurred to me, and I want to hold this idea, that tshuvah can be like posture correction. I'm working with my chiropracter right now on improving my posture. So, multiple times per day, I notice that I'm slumping or hunching, and correct it. I don't expect myself to get it right all the time right away; I just keep adjusting, and hope over time that the new way becomes habit. So too if I notice myself being judgmental of someone else, I can try to adjust my attitude to one of compassion. And if I'm being judgmental again later, I adjust again, and hope that gradually, over time, the attitude I am working on will start to stick. It's also like meditation: if my attention wavers, I gently bring it back (or so I've been taught; I don't practice these days) without berating myself. And again, and again. The straying is not a failure; the straying and returning is the essence of the process. And finally, it's like working with 4-year-olds on how to behave. At our school, they stress telling the child what is good to do (positive language) not criticising what the child has done (negative language). I think this works better for grownups, too! I hope these three metaphors may help me have a gentler positive and effective tshuvah process in my life.
Now, the two moments:
The "chet hokey pokey". Chet, usually translated as sin, has a connotation of missing the mark. In the kids' service, they did the chet hokey pokey. (The "ch" is pronounced soft and throaty, like in "chutzpah", not "child".)
You put your right hand in
You put your right hand out
You put your right hand in
And shake the chet right out
You do a little tshuvah
And you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about
Very silly but I think it's kind of a nice physicalization of the process.
Finally, I really enjoyed going outside into the gathering dusk and rising night sounds to check whether I could see three stars in the sky, which would mean it was time to serve the break-fast. Those were some nice moments of nature and connection, much more gentle and centering than checking a clock. Serving a yummy breakfast to my family was fun too -- mustard salmon and bruschetta, fast, easy, and tasty.
One of the major themes of the day, and of the High Holidays as a whole, is tshuvah. This word is often translated as "repentance", but it also has connotations of turning around and of answer or response. It occurred to me, and I want to hold this idea, that tshuvah can be like posture correction. I'm working with my chiropracter right now on improving my posture. So, multiple times per day, I notice that I'm slumping or hunching, and correct it. I don't expect myself to get it right all the time right away; I just keep adjusting, and hope over time that the new way becomes habit. So too if I notice myself being judgmental of someone else, I can try to adjust my attitude to one of compassion. And if I'm being judgmental again later, I adjust again, and hope that gradually, over time, the attitude I am working on will start to stick. It's also like meditation: if my attention wavers, I gently bring it back (or so I've been taught; I don't practice these days) without berating myself. And again, and again. The straying is not a failure; the straying and returning is the essence of the process. And finally, it's like working with 4-year-olds on how to behave. At our school, they stress telling the child what is good to do (positive language) not criticising what the child has done (negative language). I think this works better for grownups, too! I hope these three metaphors may help me have a gentler positive and effective tshuvah process in my life.
Now, the two moments:
The "chet hokey pokey". Chet, usually translated as sin, has a connotation of missing the mark. In the kids' service, they did the chet hokey pokey. (The "ch" is pronounced soft and throaty, like in "chutzpah", not "child".)
You put your right hand in
You put your right hand out
You put your right hand in
And shake the chet right out
You do a little tshuvah
And you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about
Very silly but I think it's kind of a nice physicalization of the process.
Finally, I really enjoyed going outside into the gathering dusk and rising night sounds to check whether I could see three stars in the sky, which would mean it was time to serve the break-fast. Those were some nice moments of nature and connection, much more gentle and centering than checking a clock. Serving a yummy breakfast to my family was fun too -- mustard salmon and bruschetta, fast, easy, and tasty.