No, not those holidays. The Jewish High Holidays — the New Year and Day of Atonement — force members of the Jewish community to slow down, take stock of their year and what they should do better in the year to come.
It’s about being honest with yourself, your family and your community. Interestingly, to complete this process, you must take personal responsibility and participate in the community’s review of its shortcomings. And then ask for forgiveness from those you’ve harmed and forgive those who harmed you — there is no free pass by asking forgiveness from on high.
You have to do the work.
Central imagery of these holidays is the idea that one's fate is written in the heavenly books — The Book of Good Life, The Book of Death, etc. — during the period between Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).
However, one of the most important prayers of these holy days suggests that by seeking justice, making amends and returning to a better life filled with prayer and good deeds, people can influence which book will include their name in the year to come.
It’s about choice — choosing a good life, choosing to care about family, choosing to improve yourself and your community. The heavenly rulings are informed by choosing a just and ever-improving life, based on humility and peace.
So, as I picked up the kids from school right before the holiday, Tony Kamel’s “We’re All Gonna Live” played on the car stereo, and I smiled.
I’ve written about this song before, framing it as a protest song for our days. But it’s also perfect for these days between the holidays.
This song slows you down to see the goodness in people who often aren’t given the benefit of the doubt, making you question assumptions. And in the end, celebrate the chance to choose a good life. The final lines, “we’re all gonna live,” which often becomes a communal sing-along at live shows, function much like the final prayers of the final service of Yom Kippur, known as Ne’ilah or The Locking.
The imagery is intense: As the final seconds of the holiday come to a close, the gates of heaven are locked, and those books are sealed for the year. As we call out as a community, we actively choose life through community engagement and prayer. We chant the same lines of a prayer over and over again until the holiday is over. It’s very powerful and a bit intense.
It’s hard for non-religious folks (and even some believers) to grasp. But at its most basic, it’s a group of people who want to see what is best in the world, and in each other, proclaiming that we’re all gonna live.
Gmar chatima tova — May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.