HUDSON VALLEY- Jews throughout the world are celebrating the holiest day in the Hebrew calendar today when Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is observed in synagogues and homes.
Sunday evening’s Kol Nidre ceremony commemorated a 24-hour period of praying and fasting while repenting one’s sins from the previous year.
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, was observed last week with synagogues throughout the Hudson Valley conducting services.
Putnam Chabad offered an outdoor gathering on the Lake Gleneida shoreline in the county seat when Rabbi Avi Korer blew the shofar or ram’s horn signifying the High Holy Days.
The rabbi told congregants, “We are taught that each New Year is not merely a continuation or repetition of the last; each has its own mission and purpose. Therefore, every year brings new energy, strength, and blessings.”
Rabbi Korer called this year “not an easy year; too much is lingering and causing us worry yet we have full trust in God that all the blessings he is preparing for the coming year will be actualized and that all of our wishes and prayers will be granted. We know that God loves us and that he desires to take care of all our needs. At the same time, God wants us to follow the way of life he prescribed. The High Holy Days are a time of our rededication and commitment to the wonderful principles and values of the Torah. This will make our society better and holier, making it a vessel for all of God’s blessings.
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