The Joys of
ommunity
at
Temple Beth El
Yom Kippur:
Coming Home
Shabbat Yom Kippur: Leviticus 16:1-34,
Numbers 29:7-11; Isaiah 57:14-58:14.
I
magine asking someone of anoth-
er religion coming out of their
house of worship, "Do you believe
in God?"
You can expect a shocked reaction.
"What type of question is that? Of
course I do!"
If you then ask him, "Do you con-
sider yourself religious?" what will the
answer be?
"Certainly. That's why I'm
here!"
Now go to a synagogue
on Yom Kippur. Ask the Jew
sitting in the synagogue on
Yom Kippur, fasting, "Do
you believe in God?"
You cannot get a straight
answer. "Umm, it depends
on what you mean by 'God:"
That's if they're the philo-
sophical type. Otherwise
they'll simply say, "What am
I? A rabbi? I don't know."
So then ask them, "Do you consider
yourself religious?" They crack up
laughing. And they assure you that
they're the furthest thing from reli-
gious.
So the obvious question should be,
"Why are we here?"
But we need not ask it, for the
answer is equally obvious:
We're coming home.
A child may wonder off to a faraway
country, adopt a foreign dress or cul-
ture, but when they come home, no
matter how different they look, no one
would ask, "Why are you here? Why
have you returned to be with your
family?"
On Yom Kippur we each feel that
pull to be with our brothers and sis-
ters, to connect with our Father. We
may not look the part; we may not
seem to have any similarities to our
family and may even have unsettled
feuds. But the synagogue acts as home;
the pews our "dinner table:'
Yom Kippur is known as the day
which is achas bashana — once a year.
A short, yet potent time to be taken
advantage of.
However, that once-a-year theme
is often (condescendingly) used to
describe synagogue attendees who
show up on Yom Kippur
only — the "once-a-year
Jew." Truthfully, far from a
label, the descriptor reveals
what Yom Kippur truly
stands for.
Every member of the
Jewish family is endowed
with a heritage — the
Torah; their connection
with God. There is nothing,
neither a personal choice
nor an outside force, which
can take that away from a
Jew. On Yom Kippur, every Jew feels a
tug of that heritage; that once-a-year
pull which stems from the depths of
the soul.
And so we all show up at the syna-
gogue. We are not here because we are
all religious — far from it. Not because
we all feel closely connected with God,
and not even because we are honoring
our parents or grandparents who have
passed.
We're here because our soul is sim-
ply bringing us home. It's Yom Kippur,
it's once a year — shul is where I'm
supposed to be. ❑
We extend our warmest wishes to our
friends in the greater Jewish community
as we share a new year filled with hope,
promise and new understanding.
Ars
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Temple Beth El is a place
to learn, grow and elevate
our spirits ...
at this holiday season,
and throughout the year.
We hope you will join us for the
following exciting events.
Simchat Torah Celebration
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 15 7:00 PM
From Deuteronomy to Genesis.
A Joyous Celebration as we complete the
cycle of the Jewish year, singing and
dancing with the Torah scrolls.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7 7:30 PM
Special Guest Artist, Michelle Citrin
"Ill grrl, big sound"
Kasriel Shemtov is rabbi of The Shul in
West Bloomfield.
Conversations
What is your Yom Kippur
motivation?
/111111.1.—
A high-energy, spiritual,
thought-provoking service.
Families and all ages will walk away uplifted,
recharged, and connected.
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TEMPLE
7400 Telegraph Rd., Bloomfield hills, Michigan
www.tbeonline.org
JN
BETH EL
October 2 • 2014
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