Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur began at sundown last night and ends this evening.
For the Jewish community, it is the conclusion of the High Holy Days which began 10 days ago with Rosh Hashanah. And, the holiest day of the year. Among other things, Yom Kippur is a day marked by fasting and prayer. Not knowing I wondered what the appropriate greeting for Yom Kippur was and so I looked it up. What I found was this:
“I wish for you an easy fast.”
With all due respect, and honoring this most holy of days, that is not what I wish for my Jewish sisters and brothers. Instead my prayer for you is this.
I wish for you a fast with enough longing and enough pangs of hunger to remind you, once again, of the longing and hunger in the world entrusted now to our care and keeping.
A longing and a hunger not just for food enough, but also…
For hope enough;
And for joy enough;
And for understanding enough;
And for peace enough;
That you help show us the way we all need to go.
Shalom.