“Forgive Yourself and Others Before Asking for Forgiveness from God”
This year Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, began at sundown on Tuesday September 22nd, and lasted through sundown Wednesday, September 23rd. The holiday follows a lunar calendar, so every year it falls on a different date and sometimes a different month. The celebration and the fast started the previous evening, following Torah’s story of creation. “And there was evening and there was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5). I had my last meal and drink at about 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and after spending about 10 hours praying, ate again at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. The purpose of this holiday, once a year, is to ask forgiveness for all of the kinds of misgivings, sins and transgressions, which one knowingly or not knowingly did in the previous year.
The service, which started at 9:30am, continued non-stop until 3:30pm. Then it resumed at 5:30pm. During the two-hour break, I decided to take a walk in Golden Gate Park. The Congregation Chevra Thilim, the oldest synagogue in San Francisco, which started its services over 120 years ago, is located on 25th Avenue and Balboa. When we came to San Francisco in August 1980, we rented an apartment on 5th Avenue and Balboa and liked to go to the park for a walk almost daily with our kids. Golden Gate Park was founded in 1871 on the sand covering 1,017 acres of public ground. It is similar in shape, but 20 percent larger than Central Park in New York City. The main person who is responsible for the way it was developed was John McLaren, who served as the Superintendent of Golden Gate Park for 53 years.
When I came to the park I thought about taking a nap, and I found a picnic table in the shade with a sign printed on top of it, “subject to the reservation” with a phone number. I did not have a reservation (but if you are planning to have a picnic here with a lot of friends, it could be a good idea). In front was a huge lawn with only one woman lying down on the grass with her green bag serving as a pillow. After awhile, she got up and we started a conversation. She is a native San Franciscan, and loves to come to the Park and just be here. We sat together and talked about chirping birds, people walking with their dogs, children playing, bicyclists, joggers or slow walkers and looked out at the tranquil view. I remembered the words of Rabbi Zarchi from the previous night’s sermon. He talked about how children live in the moment, while adults carry with them loads of resentment, anger and guilt. After the sermon, my friend’s daughter, who is 12 years old remarked, “I got it, it is better to be happy than angry.” If you feel tired or angry, go to the park. I’m confident you will be happier here.
P.S. Golden Gate Park offers many attractions, such as the marvelous De Young Museum. Recently we enjoyed a visit to the California Academy of Science. Sometimes we go for a walk around Stow Lake, which offers its natural beauty; the birds, turtles, flowers and the waterfall, and of course people whom I photographed for your enjoyment.
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Cheers,
