{"id":110735,"date":"2013-09-13T17:38:45","date_gmt":"2013-09-13T21:38:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/?p=110735"},"modified":"2013-09-13T17:38:45","modified_gmt":"2013-09-13T21:38:45","slug":"fresh-take-on-yom-kippur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/2013\/09\/fresh-take-on-yom-kippur\/","title":{"rendered":"Fresh take on Yom Kippur"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I wish we saw more coverage of liturgical holidays but I get why we don\u2019t. How do you write something fresh and new about something that\u2019s been done \u2026 for thousands of years? It\u2019s very difficult to transmit culture or tradition as \u201cnews\u201d \u2014 since, by definition, they\u2019re not. So that\u2019s why you see news outlets focusing on progressive churches or groups that change, rather than retain, doctrine. It\u2019s actually a fundamental flaw in the transmission-of-information part of the news process \u2026 but that\u2019s for a lengthier treatment elsewhere.<\/p>\n

But for fresh and new, let\u2019s look at a couple of good treatments. First off is Religion News Service. And don\u2019t be put off by the cliche\u2019d headline of \u201cFor somber Jews on Yom Kippur, white is the new black.<\/a>\u201d Near the top it begins with a rabbi saying his congregation will be dressed in white for Yom Kippur:<\/p>\n

Orthodox Jews commonly dress in white on this most holy on the Jewish calendar, the Day of Atonement \u2013 which begins the evening of Sept. 13.<\/p>\n

In Reform and Conservative synagogues around the world, the picture on Yom Kippur is more colorful, with congregants dressed in suits and dresses of a variety of hues. Here, only the rabbis and hazzans, the musically-trained prayer leaders, will stand out in their white robes.<\/p>\n

But in recent years, the tradition has spread to less observant Jews who make up the majority of world Jewry, and who find that wearing white is a way to connect to the message of Yom Kippur, which ends a month-long period of introspection and atonement for one\u2019s sins.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s a trend piece without hard data, but nice anecdotes. We hear from members of congregations and rabbis. And it doesn\u2019t shy away from some nice theological aspects \u2014 particularly for a brief piece:<\/p>\n

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, a member of the \u201cAsk the Rabbi\u201d team at Chabad.org \u2013 the online presence of the traditional Chabad movement, offers another Yom Kippur analogy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re wearing white, for the same reason a bride on her wedding day wears white. White is purity. We\u2019re pure,\u201d Freeman said.<\/p>\n

And the groom? God. There may have been some nasty issues between the couple, said Freeman. But Yom Kippur gives them a fresh start.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe say to Him, \u2018We can\u2019t live without you.\u2019 He says to us, \u2018I always loved you.\u2019\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Another piece I enjoyed could not have been more brief and comes from Buzzfeed \u2014 a graph of people searching Google over the years for what time the sun sets. It peaks each year on Yom Kippur<\/a>. See above.<\/p>\n

Finally, there\u2019s an interesting piece about an app that lets you digitally upload a confession and have it put onto a digital goat that is pushed over a cliff by an animated priest. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It\u2019s called, of course, eScapegoat. It raises tremendously important theological questions and the Wall Street Journal<\/em> explores some of those in a reported piece that ran in the editorial section. Fans of the app say that it provides more access to Judaism. The article looks into similar apps for others to \u201cconfess\u201d their sins and the theological limitations of same<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Noreen Herzfeld, a professor of theology and computer science at St. John\u2019s University, says she understands why religious leaders are so offended by these sites. \u201cConfession is a sacrament,\u201d she explains. \u201cOnline boards take God and the sinner\u2019s community out of the equation, making the confession simply personal rather than sacramental.\u201d<\/p>\n

But many of these confessors aren\u2019t looking to be absolved by a priest or by God. They\u2019re seeking an outlet where they can share their secrets without feeling judged.<\/p>\n

Social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are set up for users to post the shiniest version of themselves to the world\u2014not to reveal vulnerabilities. \u201cIn the early days of the Internet, everyone online was anonymous or pseudo-anonymous,\u201d Michael Heyward, the co-founder of Whisper, tells me. But as more people joined, \u201cthere was a big push toward posting single, public identities and logging into everything,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

What got lost in the process, Mr. Heyward says, was a space where people could safely share feelings they\u2019d not normally express. He believes Whisper and similar apps are providing it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The article is hooked to Yom Kippur but it shows how repentance and atonement are evergreen topics with universal appeal.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I wish we saw more coverage of liturgical holidays but I get why we don\u2019t. How do you write something fresh and new about something that\u2019s been done \u2026 for thousands of years? It\u2019s very difficult to transmit culture or tradition as \u201cnews\u201d \u2014 since, by definition, they\u2019re not. So that\u2019s why you see news […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":605,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,28,48],"tags":[284,306,1314,2293,646,2291,2292,624,2290],"class_list":["post-110735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-catholicism","category-judaism","category-worship","tag-atonement","tag-buzzfeed","tag-confession","tag-escapegoat","tag-religion-news-service","tag-repentance","tag-sacrament","tag-wall-street-journal","tag-yom-kippur"],"yoast_head":"\nFresh take on Yom Kippur<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I wish we saw more coverage of liturgical holidays but I get why we don't. 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