Out Walking

While out walking, I found myself in a Jewish neighborhood.  The little boys, young boys and older men with shaved heads and ringlets of hair, wearing black pants, white shirts, black jackets and black hats, and the girls, young women and ladies in black dresses, black shoes.

What is the significance of so much black?

I asked my friends Phil and Alice about the Jewish people here.  This was their response:

"These folks are more than orthodox. They belong to a sect called Hasidim. They retain many of the old culture and dress from eastern Europe 100 years ago or more.

This is the period of time between Rosh Hashonah and Yom Kippur and is the holiest time in the Jewish calendar, the High Holy Days.  

Rosh Hashona began last Sunday ight and will end with the holiest day of the eyar, Yom Koppur, begining Tuesday night and ending Wednesday night.  Rosh Hashona is the Jewish New Year and Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and praying and essentially atoning for your sins over the past year, so that you can begin the year anew.  

There is a big dinner on Tuesday evening before the fast begins and then a huge dairy meal on Wednesday evening to break the fast."

And so I begin to learn.