It's Finally Over. . .

It's usually fun being a Jew. We have all these holidays, get to eats lots of different foods, we're encouraged to be neighborly and friendly. But then, there's Yom Kippur.

For people on a high spiritual level, Yom Kippur is a day devoted to clearing out sins and starting anew. For people like me, well, it's a day when we don't eat, drink, or bathe, including brushing teeth. It's a day given over to prayer, and not speaking directly into someone else's face.

It's quite a feat not to have evil thoughts on this day. Granted, spending the all day in shul doesn't offer much free time to think about others, but does afford the opportunity to turn on your immediate neighbors. So I had to fight the urge to let my row mates have it when their children kept walking in and out. I mean, take a aisle seat next time, okay?

And then, despite it all, comes the attack of the giggles. My daughter had spent the afternoon break with a friend, but hadn't returned when we started up praying again at around 5:30 pm. I was getting a little anxious, especially when her other friends asked me about her. I told them where she was, and asked them, perhaps a bit too earnestly, to keep an eye out for her.

That's when my other seatmate turned to me and asked, "so you have a small squad?" We just lost it. Laughed out loud. The image of a small police squad trolling the corridors looking for my daughter was too much. No food, no water, and now this.

But it all ended well, with dancing, singing, the shofar blowing and cake. Thank you G-d, for making me a member of the Jewish people. Because in the end, they know exactly what I need.