In the last hours of Yom KippurThe holiest day of the Jewish year and the culmination of a season of self-reflection. Jews fast, abstain from other worldly pleasures, and gather in prayers that last throughout the day. Following Ne'ilah, the final prayers, during which Jews envision the Gates of Repentance closing, the shofar is sounded in one long blast to conclude the holy day. It is customary to begin building one's sukkah as soon as the day ends.,
as I sit with a rumbling stomach,
reflecting on regrets, I read
the story of Jonah, that prophet
who ran away when asked
to save a city, who refused
Divine request.
How does he compare?
To the story Jews read
a few weeks later
about Noah, a man who
never questioned God, who
simply picked up a hammer
to do as he was told.
Two men from the TorahThe Five Books of Moses, and the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is considered the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a high mitzvah. The Torah itself a scroll that is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is chanted aloud on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle. Sometimes "Torah" is used as a colloquial term for Jewish learning and narrative in general.
with rhyming names.
One said, “yes.”
The other, “no.”
Jonah didn’t want to try.
Noah didn’t see a choice.
Who will I be
as this stormy year unfolds?
The one who sits in the belly of a whale,
clutching anger, frustration, and fear?
Or the one who finds wood and builds a ship
to survive the oncoming flood?
from Manna in the Morning (Kelsay Books, 2021)
