Category: Judaism

Summary: Today was Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement. The holiday focuses on acknowledging sins over the past year and seeking forgiveness. Initially, I felt guilt for my mistakes, but I realized that guilt is heavily shaped by Western Christian culture, where mistakes often carry a sense of finality and require divine salvation. In contrast, Judaism views mistakes as part of the human experience and emphasizes teshuva—the process of repentance, repair, and moving forward. This approach is more freeing, encouraging growth and improvement without being trapped by guilt, offering a healthier path toward personal renewal.

We went to Israel in Passover of 2023. I wrote up my notes as we travelled but didn’t get to publish this until the atrocities of October 7th.

As I got off the overnight flight from Tel Aviv, I see a man standing at the end of the jetway with a sign that says, “Bennett, Naftali”. I know I’ve heard that name before, and I think he’s a member of the Knesset. But it can’t be that Naftali Bennett, can it?

The problem is, before this trip to Israel, I didn’t know much about the country. It’s like when I Ari, as a first grader, asked me, “Can you tell me about Andrew Cuomo.”

And I said, “Well… he’s the governor of New York… he’s a Democrat… and his dad Mario was also governor. People liked his dad a lot.”

Ari then shot back, “Tell me more. Like if you had to write a first-grade book report about Andrew Cuomo, what would you say?”

“Oh,” I said, “I don’t know enough about Andrew Cuomo to do that.”