For most of us Torah observant Jews, we’re either just finished with three days totally removed from news, telephones, internet etc. or soon will be. Our two-day New Year, Rosh Hashanah was immediately followed by Shabbat, the Sabbath. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t miss the phone, internet, computer, television etc.
It was a great relief. Honestly, I was happy to have three days just to stay in Shiloh, pray in the neighborhood synagogue and see neighbors. It would have been nice to see the children and grandchildren, but they were all busy celebrating, too.
Everyone I spoke to felt the same.
What a pleasure to ignore the world. We can wait to hear the news.
And now a few hours after Shabbat’s out, and I’ve looked at the news sites and see that nothing much really happened, just more of the same.
I’m feeling too relaxed and mellow to blog politics and even religion. I had a few suitable posts rattling in my head, but they don’t want to come out. So, get a good night’s sleep. At some point I’ll be ready again to confront and challenge the world.
Tomorrow’s Tzom Gedalya, the Fast of Gedalia.
Tzom Gedaliah (Fast of Gedaliah) is an annual fast day instituted by the Jewish Sages to commemorate the assassination of Gedaliah Ben Achikam, the Governor of Israel during the days of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylonia. As a result of Gedaliah’s death the final vestiges of Judean autonomy after the Babylonian conquest were destroyed, many thousands of Jews were slain, and the remaining Jews were driven into final exile…(complete article)
It’s a day we don’t eat from just before dawn until night. As fasts go, it’s considered one of the “easier” ones. That’s especially since it’s generally after two, and sometimes like this year, three days of Holiday feasting. Also, the weather is generally milder than the other summer ones, the 17th of Tammuz and 9th of Av. And since there’s less daylight on the 3rd, or like in this year the 4th, of Tishrei it’s shorter than the 17th of Tammuz. Tzom kal, have a easy fast to those fasting tomorrow.
Arutz 7 just put up an article about North Korea threatening the United States. What’s your opinion?