OCTOBER 24 • 2019 | 5
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D
id our ancestors live
like this? Did they
approach the High
Holidays with a strict sense
of piousness —
as I’
ve always
assumed — or
did they also
bend the rules to
suit themselves,
just like so many
Jews do these
days?
I asked myself that ques-
tion during the Yom Kippur
service. The service itself
— the singing, the sermon,
the prayers — was beauti-
ful, as always. But at times, I
admit, my mind wandered,
and, during some of those
moments, I thought of the
rules about fasting.
Seems that modern Jews
have settled into lots of inter-
esting ways of dealing with
fasting, or at least their version
of that word. As I sat in the
service, I noticed that a few
people in the sanctuary were
chewing gum. They looked
like they were trying to be
discreet, but once I noticed
them and their subtle chewing
technique, I became transfixed.
Are they really chewing gum
in the sanctuary — on Yom
Kippur? Who does that? I
found myself judging them as
I was reading words about for-
giveness. It was very confusing.
But what exactly is allowed
during our fast? Where is the
line? Are we free to make up
our own rules and remain
good Jews, or are some actions
so unacceptably egregious
that they destroy any legiti-
mate claim to our Jewishness?
What if someone were to, say,
spend the day eating pork ribs
and bacon? Surely that would
violate just about everything,
right? Orthodox Jews consume
nothing and even forgo brush-
ing their teeth. But does that
mean that only they are living
a pure Jewish life? Not to me,
it doesn’
t.
We each define our own line
on what’
s acceptable behavior
about fasting during Yom
Kippur. Mine is somewhere
between eating pork ribs and
not brushing my teeth.
In recent years, I’
ve made an
official ruling that water is a
perfectly fine exception to my
fast. It’
s non-caloric, healthy
and relatively guilt-free. But it
also presents a slippery slope.
If water is OK, then does that
mean that ice is also OK? Ice is
just frozen water, after all. But
can a good Jew really spend
Yom Kippur chomping on
ice? I pondered that question
and ruled that it was perfectly
acceptable. But that resulted
in my kids calling me the “Ice
Man” all day, which was fine
by me. I’
ve been called far
worse.
But we all have our rules,
right? One buddy of mine goes
out to dinner after Kol Nidre
services, so as to get a jump
on being full for Yom Kippur
day. “It’
s cheating,
” he readily
admits, but says that it works
for him and his family, and
he even included his dad in
the plan. Upon picking up his
dinner at a Chinese restaurant
(of course), he told me the
cashier said to him, “
Aren’
t you
supposed to be fasting?” He
figured he wouldn’
t bump into
his rabbi that night but never
thought the cashier would bust
him.
A surprising number of
people tell me they have no
problem with drinking coffee
on Yom Kippur. They rule out
food but draw the line at cof-
fee. “It’
s just coffee,
” they insist.
Their conviction is so sincere I
almost find it convincing (after
all, I do drink water, so adding
a few coffee beans is just a
short putt away). One person
tells me she’
ll have coffee on
Yom Kippur but “absolutely no
cream.
” That logic is so twisted
it almost makes sense to me.
My 88-year-old mother
created an interesting method:
She eats on Yom Kippur, but
only
half of what she’
d normal-
ly consume. She’
s very proud
of herself for coming up with
this plan. I plan on trying it
when I turn 88.
This year, some of my family
and friends added a new Yom
Kippur tradition: At break-fast,
we shared photos of the mass
smorgasbord of food we were
about to eat, from the kugel to
the seven-layer cake. I wasn’
t
sure why that was so satisfying,
but it was. We collectively sal-
ivated at the sight of the deli-
cious spread and even shared
a bit of pride that each of us —
even the rule benders — had
made it through the fast.
Yom Kippur is such a deeply
reflective time for us. We sit
in services and read all about
words like “repentance, charity,
forgiveness.
” It’
s a powerful
way to think about what kind
of person we wish to be in the
coming year.
That lesson was put to the
test for me a few years ago
when I got into a car accident
in the Temple Israel parking
lot upon arriving for services.
My beautiful, shiny sports
car was just two days old and
I was still in the love phase
with it. But there was an ugly
collision that would later cost
me about $2,000. I was initially
livid and still shaken as I sat
in the sanctuary, telling myself
over again that it’
s just a car
and that the message of the
holiday reminds us of what’
s
important in life. Can’
t say it
fully worked for me that year,
but not for lack of trying. But
Mark Jacobs
for openers
Bending the Rules on Yom Kippur
As we welcome the Jewish
year 5780, the number of Jews
worldwide stands at 14.8 mil-
lion, compared to 14.7 million
in 5779. Of these, 8.1 million
live outside Israel (including
5.7 million in the United
States). In Israel, the number of
Jews is 6.7 million (compared
to 6.6 million in 5779). The
updated estimates were pub-
lished by Professor Sergio Della
Pergola of Hebrew University
in the American Jewish Year
Book 2019.
The numbers include those
who define themselves as Jews
and who do not identify with
another religion. When includ-
ing those who are eligible for
Israeli citizenship under the
Law of Return, the number
rises to 23.6 million people, of
whom 16.5 million live outside
Israel.
Jewish Agency Chairman
Isaac Herzog said that: “In the
past year, tens of thousands
of people have made Aliyah
(immigrated to Israel) with
assistance from The Jewish
Agency for Israel, along with
tens of thousands of young
Jews who visited Israel on
educational programs such
as Masa Israel Journey. The
Jewish Agency continues to
act as a bridge between Israel
and Jewish communities, and
address the main challenges
facing the Jewish people in
Israel and worldwide. Chief
among these is combating
anti-Semitism, which has risen
dramatically over the past year,
along with the continuation
of efforts to connect young
Jews around the world to Israel
against the backdrop of the
BDS movements.”
Jewish Population Rises
to 14.8 Million Worldwide