An easy fast and all blessings to all Jewish people who visit here.
“G’mar chatima tova” If I copied that right it is the greeting for this high holy day. When I had a fountain pen store in Dallas years ago a lot of my vendors were Jewish and I remember changing the date of a big sale in my store so those friends could come join us for our sale. One of my friends explained the importance of that date and we were glad to make the change.
Yom Kippur aka ” Day of Atonement”. The one day per year that the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, first in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple.
Leviticus 16: 1-34
OldTexan,
Was your store in the Galleria?
I love fountain pens. I still do most of my writing with one. I have some with wide nibs so I can do calligraphy.
You probably know the Chinese figured out printing long before Europeans, but they ignored the innovation because the art of writing calligraphy was so revered. How the characters got on the page was as important as the meaning the characters conveyed.
I second Kate’s wishes!
Rufus,
Our store was at Inwood and Lover’s Lane, it was called PenWright.
What Kate and RTF said–
All blessings to our Jewish friends.
OldTexan:
Lover’s Lane rang a bell. As a kid in the 60s I lived a mile or so east, on the other side of 75, from your store. We didn’t stay long, but I remember Dallas as a pretty nice city. A good school, Dan D. Rogers Elementary, plus creeks where we would go looking for fool’s gold.
The weather was crazy. I remember a day when it snowed in the morning, warmed during the day, and young boys in t-shirts were throwing snowballs by the afternoon.
Rich blessings and deep peace to all observers of today’s festival.
G’mar chatima tova!
To all the Yom Kippur well-wishers: thank you very much! People often wish each other an easy fast, but in recent years more and more people are changing it to wish each other a *meaningful* fast. There is something moving and cleansing about spending the day in prayer and repentance while fasting. By the end of the day everyone is a bit bedraggled and tired, and it’s easier to understand how weak we all are — and to translate that into forgiveness of others and a resolve to do better.
Re: Leonard Cohen / “Who by Fire” / Yom Kippur:
______________________________
“Who by fire” is Leonard Cohen’s version of the Hebrew prayer “Unetanneh Tokef”, chanted on Yom Kippur. It was released in the 1974 album “New Skin for the Old Ceremony.” This is one of the main songs of the album and one of Cohen’s best known songs.
The prayer Cohen heard as a child in the synagogue describes God reviewing the Book of Life and deciding the fate of every soul for the year to come – who will live, who will die and how. The line: “And who shall I say is calling?” can be understood as a break from faith in God. According to Cohen that element of doubt is what made the song into a personal prayer for him.
“Who By Fire” is indeed one of Cohen’s greatest songs. I had no idea where it came from when I first heard it but I was captivated and haunted.
Also, a big thumb’s up to the album, “New Skin for the Old Ceremony,” which affected me deeply, but is underrated in his canon.
How about this for prophecy? How far we haven’t come.
______________________________
There is a war between the rich and poor
A war between the man and the woman
There is a war between the left and right
A war between the black and white
A war between the odd and the even
Why don’t you come on back to the war? Pick up your tiny burden
Why don’t you come on back to the war? Let’s all get even
Why don’t you come on back to the war? Can’t you hear me speaking?
An easy fast and all blessings to all Jewish people who visit here.
“G’mar chatima tova” If I copied that right it is the greeting for this high holy day. When I had a fountain pen store in Dallas years ago a lot of my vendors were Jewish and I remember changing the date of a big sale in my store so those friends could come join us for our sale. One of my friends explained the importance of that date and we were glad to make the change.
Yom Kippur aka ” Day of Atonement”. The one day per year that the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, first in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple.
Leviticus 16: 1-34
OldTexan,
Was your store in the Galleria?
I love fountain pens. I still do most of my writing with one. I have some with wide nibs so I can do calligraphy.
You probably know the Chinese figured out printing long before Europeans, but they ignored the innovation because the art of writing calligraphy was so revered. How the characters got on the page was as important as the meaning the characters conveyed.
I second Kate’s wishes!
Rufus,
Our store was at Inwood and Lover’s Lane, it was called PenWright.
What Kate and RTF said–
All blessings to our Jewish friends.
OldTexan:
Lover’s Lane rang a bell. As a kid in the 60s I lived a mile or so east, on the other side of 75, from your store. We didn’t stay long, but I remember Dallas as a pretty nice city. A good school, Dan D. Rogers Elementary, plus creeks where we would go looking for fool’s gold.
The weather was crazy. I remember a day when it snowed in the morning, warmed during the day, and young boys in t-shirts were throwing snowballs by the afternoon.
Rich blessings and deep peace to all observers of today’s festival.
G’mar chatima tova!
To all the Yom Kippur well-wishers: thank you very much! People often wish each other an easy fast, but in recent years more and more people are changing it to wish each other a *meaningful* fast. There is something moving and cleansing about spending the day in prayer and repentance while fasting. By the end of the day everyone is a bit bedraggled and tired, and it’s easier to understand how weak we all are — and to translate that into forgiveness of others and a resolve to do better.
Re: Leonard Cohen / “Who by Fire” / Yom Kippur:
______________________________
“Who by fire” is Leonard Cohen’s version of the Hebrew prayer “Unetanneh Tokef”, chanted on Yom Kippur. It was released in the 1974 album “New Skin for the Old Ceremony.” This is one of the main songs of the album and one of Cohen’s best known songs.
The prayer Cohen heard as a child in the synagogue describes God reviewing the Book of Life and deciding the fate of every soul for the year to come – who will live, who will die and how. The line: “And who shall I say is calling?” can be understood as a break from faith in God. According to Cohen that element of doubt is what made the song into a personal prayer for him.
https://israelforever.org/interact/multimedia/Music/who_by_fire_leonard_cohen/
______________________________
“Who By Fire” is indeed one of Cohen’s greatest songs. I had no idea where it came from when I first heard it but I was captivated and haunted.
Also, a big thumb’s up to the album, “New Skin for the Old Ceremony,” which affected me deeply, but is underrated in his canon.
How about this for prophecy? How far we haven’t come.
______________________________
There is a war between the rich and poor
A war between the man and the woman
There is a war between the left and right
A war between the black and white
A war between the odd and the even
Why don’t you come on back to the war? Pick up your tiny burden
Why don’t you come on back to the war? Let’s all get even
Why don’t you come on back to the war? Can’t you hear me speaking?
–Leonard Cohen, “There Is a War” (1974)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXxhmaQBeg8
A belated thank you to all…for your kind wishes.
File under: Who by politics…