"This is the fast..."

Yom Kippur starts tomorrow night and, if you are anything like me, you are weaning yourself off the caffeine and avoiding salty foods (too much salt before fasting makes it more difficult). You also probably have a list: dozens of bagels to pick up in one place, juice and milk in another, babka in a third.

These tasks have become common pre-Yom Kippur rituals and I wish you Godspeed in getting them all done. But don't lose sight of the essential meaning of the holy day. Regarding the fast and all the traditional rituals of the day, our prophetic teacher exhorts us: don't do the rituals without making the world a better place. Specifically, don't starve yourself without feeding those who go hungry everyday. Don't recite the prayers for this to be a good year without reaching out to those whose situation is worse than you'll ever know. Isaiah: "Is this the fast that I desire? For you to starve your bodies? NO! This is the fast that I desire... To share your bread with the hungry,and to take the poor and desperate into your home; When you see the naked, to clothe him,and not to ignore his suffering…"

You can be part of this effort by helping me with CROP Walk. CROP Hunger Walks help children and families worldwide - and right here in the U.S. - to have food for today, while building for a better tomorrow. Each year some two million CROP Walkers, volunteers, and sponsors put their hearts and soles in motion, raising over $16 million per year to help end hunger and poverty around the world - and in their own communities. And you can be part of it!

Click here to go to my CROP Walk page and JOIN THE TEAM or donate by credit card.

Have an easy fast, an easy pre-fast errand run, and may you be inscribed for a good year!