[Kzyxtalk] Baal Teshuva

[John Sakowicz]

BAAL TESHUVA 





To my Jewish friends and colleagues: 




During this Rosh Hashanah season (September 20-22), you can lead your family as a "master of repentance" or "master of return". 




Jews call it: baal teshuva 




In Hebrew, it's called: בעלת תשובה 




Jews believe that God is especially open to repentance during period from the beginning of the month of Ellul through the High Holiday season, i.e. Rosh Hashanah (the Day of Judgement). 

The ritual is that you "throw bread on the water". The bread represents your sins from the past year. The water is symbolic of God's forgiveness. 




The way it works is that you go to some body of water, any body of water that is flowing, i.e., a river or the ocean, and you rip up pieces of bread and throw it out on the water and ask for God's forgiveness. 




The flowing water will sweep away the bread down river, or out to sea, never to be seen again. 




It's a very powerful ritual. 




I think that we should especially ask God for forgiveness for Israel's 50 years of oppression of the Palestinian people. 




It's been 50 years of relentless war crimes. 




Israel commits war crimes in the form of collective punishment, disproportionate force, targeting of civilians, and other violations of the Geneva Conventions and international law. Despite these repeated war crimes and other human rights violations, the United States government continues to give Israel economic, military, and diplomatic support in violation of its own laws. 




Israel repeatedly violates the Geneva Conventions by: 

    * Targeting, killing, and collectively punishing non-combatant men, women and children 
    * Moving its own population into an occupied zone 
    * Imposing unnecessary curfews and closures 
    * Exercising disproportionate use of force 



Israel defies international law and hundreds of U.N. resolutions by: 

    * Refusing to end over 40 years of military occupation 
    * Expanding and adding Israeli settlements 
    * Building the Apartheid Wall to take over Palestinian land and water resources 
    * Denying the right of return for millions of Palestinian refugees 



May God forgive us. 




Shanah tovah, 




John Sakowicz 






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