Tonight marks the beginning of Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement.
As in past years, I have tried to reach out to people privately with whom I have had painful disagreements or whom I may have wronged in some way. Not everyone reaches back, but some do, and we mend things and move on.
There's also a lot of soul-searching that goes on. I've done a lot of work on myself (if I can say that without sounding too narcissistic) during the pandemic, and I think the last year was one of growth. But there are still things to tackle.
Some days are very, very tough. I share a lot on social media, but not that. I wrestle with questions and feelings that I can't really talk about (and which you probably don't want to hear about). But if you're struggling, you're not alone.
The traditional greetings for Yom Kippur are "G'mar chatimah tovah," which means "May you be inscribed for a completely good signature [in the Book of Life, in which every creature's fate is said to be recorded]; and "Well over the fast," because of the 25-hour fast that lasts through tomorrow at nightfall.
I'm grateful for the year that's been. I'm hoping for the strength for the next.
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
An interesting weekend -- one of the last of Daylight Savings Time -- in which there is much to celebrate, much to contemplate, and a bit to worry about.
The Gaza peace deal is shaky, but holding, after the living hostages returned; the shutdown is still going on, with no end in sight; the China trade war is heating up; and the confrontation with Venezuela continues to escalate.
The "No Kings" protest was a dud, despite the media's attempt to inflate it. What I find fascinating is that the Democrats have basically stolen the rhetoric and the imagery of the Tea Party protests, circa 2009. They claim they are defending the Constitution -- just like the Tea Party did.
On the one hand, this is good. How wonderful to have a political system in which both sides, bitterly opposed though they are, articulate differences through the Constitution -- and not, as in so many other countries, outside it.
On the other, this is sheer hypocrisy for the Democrats. Not only did they malign the Tea Party as ...
