Good morning, it’s Monday.
It’s also Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. Jews around the world are praying, fasting, and atoning in hopes that G-d inscribes them in the Book of Life for another year of prosperity and health, and, well, life. It’s a holiday that combines deeply personal introspection with strong communal connection. It’s both very difficult and incredibly uplifting.
Actually, the holiday started last night at sundown with the chanting of the Kol Nidre, a hauntingly beautiful prayer that translates into “All Vows” but is actually really about the annulment of vows. Yes, I know that’s complicated. Click the link if you want to go deeper.
(For the record, in case you were curious, I am writing this post before sundown on Sunday).
There are a lot of traditions and rituals to observe on Yom Kippur, aside from the abstaining from food and drink thing.
First, to be clear, only those who have made their Bar or Bat Mitzvah are expected to fast for the full duration of the holiday. Those who are pregnant or nursing, elderly, or sick and have medications that need to be taken with food, are not expected to do so.
Some mild suffering is the goal on Yom Kippur, putting one’s health at risk is not.
There are also other abstentions Jews are supposed to observe, including refraining from engaging in sexual relations; using cream, oils, and other self-care products; bathing and shaving; and wearing leather.
(Note on the “no leather” thing: Some interpretations indicate that you just can’t wear leather shoes, while others say nothing made of leather is allowed at all – no belts, jackets, etc. Confused about the internal debate? Welcome to Judaism).
In terms of what you CAN and should wear on Yom Kippur, it’s traditional to don white garments that symbolize purity – not that we ARE pure, mind you, but rather that we are striving toward purity.
Some – including most rabbis and cantors I’ve come across – choose to wear a simple white linen robe over their clothes called a “kittel.” The kittel might also be worn on other important occasions such as Passover and by the groom at a wedding. Some Jews are buried in them.
Yom Kippur in English is the “Day of Atonement.” It is the 10th and final day of the 10 Days of Awe, which start with Rosh Hashanah. The formal end of the fast is marked by blowing the “shofar”, which is fashioned from a ram’s horn) and the saying: “Next year in Jerusalem.”
If you’re not Jewish and wondering what the appropriate greeting is on this holiday, it’s “g’mar chatimah tovah,” which means “ good final sealing.”
“Have an easy fast” is not uncommon. You could also opt for something more universal like “chag sameach,” which is just “happy holiday,” or try a little Yiddish on for size with “gut yontiff” (in Hebrew, that’s “yom tov“, literally meaning “good day”).
More rain is in the forecast – showers in the morning, specifically, with some clearing expected in the afternoon. Temperatures will be in the mid-to-late 60s.
In the headlines…
Lawmakers over the weekend expressed few signs of movement on a budget resolution that would keep the U.S. government funded for the remainder of the fiscal year, and the clock is ticking.
President Joe Biden and other administration officials this weekend intensified their warnings of the consequences of closing government agencies as they pressed congressional Republicans to find a way out of their spending stalemate.
Biden spoke to the Congressional Black Caucus Saturday night in Washington, D.C., where he attributed Congress’ failure to reach a deal to avoid a government shutdown thus far and political violence to a group of “extreme Republicans.”
Biden continued his latest string of gaffes by misstating rapper LL Cool J’s name during his speech at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual Legislative Conference.
The White House on Friday directed federal agencies to get ready for a shutdown after House Republicans left for the weekend with no viable plan to keep the government funded and avert politically and economically costly disruption of federal services.
The shutdown would come at a particularly precarious time for many households already struggling with persistent inflation that has driven up the cost of rent, child care, groceries, transportation and utilities.
Three-quarters of voters say they’re concerned about Biden’s age and mental fitness, while nearly two-thirds have concerns about the multiple trials former President Donald Trump faces, a new national NBC News poll finds.
The poll shows Trump expanding his national lead in the GOP nominating contest to more than 40 points over his nearest competition, and it has Biden and Trump deadlocked in a hypothetical rematch more than a year before the general election.
Forty-four percent of Americans in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll say they’ve gotten worse off financially under Biden’s presidency, the most for any president in ABC/Post polls since 1986.
The Washington Post said that its poll with ABC News showing Trump beating Biden is likely an “outlier,” citing other polls that show the two candidates in a dead heat.
As criminal cases proceed against the former president, heated rhetoric and anger among his supporters have authorities worried about the risk of political dissent becoming deadly.
A major liberal group has drawn up a multimillion dollar plan to make Biden cooler online. And the initiative has the blessing of a top White House official.
The president is making the case that fighting climate change can create jobs, countering a key Republican narrative surrounding the autoworker strike.
Biden has received a COVID booster vaccination and wants Americans to do the same, the White House announced. He also got the flu and RSV vaccines.
Biden will host Pacific leaders at the White House this week as the US seeks to bolster its engagement with the nations amid growing concern about China’s presence in the region.
During the three-day meeting, the U.S. will announce diplomatic recognition for two Pacific islands, promise new money for infrastructure, including to improve Internet connectivity via undersea cables, and honor regional leaders at an NFL game.
Biden will travel to Michigan tomorrow and walk the picket line with members of the United Auto Workers union, he announced Friday, a trip that comes after the president faced political pressure to ramp up his public support for the union members.
The United Automobile Workers union expanded its strike Friday at two large U.S. automakers — General Motors and Stellantis, the parent of Chrysler, Jeep and Ram — as negotiators remained far apart on key issues a week into the walkout.
Ford avoided additional strikes because the company has met some of the union’s demands during negotiations over the past week, UAW President Shawn Fain said during an online presentation to union members.
New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez has tapped Abbe Lowell, the same attorney defending Hunter Biden against his tax and firearm charges, to represent him in his federal bribery case, a spokesperson for the prosecutors said.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on Menendez to resign as other leading Democrats yesterday pulled their punches against their freshly indicted colleague, saying any decision for him to quit was not up to them.
Menendez, who faces federal bribery and corruption charges, now also has a new primary challenger in his fight for re-election next year: Rep. Andy Kim, who announced his campaign on Saturday.
Acting State Police Superintendent Steven Nigrelli resigned effective Oct. 6 after learning he would not be named the permanent leader of the agency following an investigation into allegations that he had harassed or mistreated employees, including women.
“While the decision to retire is not easy, primarily because I truly love being a trooper, it is my time to step aside and let the next generation lead this great agency,” Nigrelli’s resignation memo read.
A monthslong investigation by the Adirondack Explorer found vast tracts of forests, waterways and mountains have been shortchanged by a state government ill-equipped to complete an enormous responsibility.
New York joined more than two dozen states in requiring homeowners to disclose flood risk before selling properties after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation mandating the practice.
The state Education Department is sounding the alarm, emphasizing the need to teach phonics rules explicitly so that more children can read proficiently by the end of third grade.
A former top aide to Andrew Cuomo claims the disgraced ex-governor recently threatened to smear his wife if she “went there” and discussed the sexual harassment allegations against him, according to bombshell new court documents.
Cuomo said that Big Apple Mayor Eric Adams “is right” to warn the migrant crisis could “destroy” the five boroughs.
The migrant crisis is getting so hard for New York City to handle that Adams sees a policy that could send thousands of people into the streets, many with nowhere to sleep and nowhere to work, as his next best move.
Adams announced that he is cutting in half the length of time adult asylum seekers will be allowed to stay at shelters.
While migrants with children currently face no deadlines for staying in shelters, city government sources familiar with the issue told the Daily News the administration was pondering limits on families as well.
Two migrants at the packed Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan were busted for assault in separate incidents over the weekend — including one who tried to strangle his girlfriend, police and sources said.
Protesters rallied yesterday outside a former college dorm in the Bronx, up in arms over City Hall’s plan to convert it into the Big Apple’s latest emergency shelter for asylum seekers.
The Biden administration has snagged office space in Lower Manhattan’s financial district to help migrants apply for work permits, as thousands of new asylum seekers continue pouring across the country’s southern border.
Senior New York City officials last week disclosed they have agreed to curb any further expansion of shelters in upstate hotels and will introduce a team that will increase oversight of migrants at the hotels.
Adams has been slapped with another $300 ticket for allegedly failing to root out a rat infestation at his Brooklyn rowhouse, city records show.
Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign repeatedly ignored city regulators’ requests to identify political supporters who they suspected of having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations without disclosing their role, according to campaign finance records.
New York City unveiled a new robot designed to help the nation’s largest police force keep riders safe in the subways.
Knightscope K5 Security Robot is on lease to the city and will be tasked with patrolling the busiest subway station in the transit system: Times Square Subway Station.
City lawmakers are in talks over legislation that could address the ongoing hostility aimed at kid-friendly readings hosted by drag queens.
The state is auctioning off some serious bling, including a 530-diamond Breitling watch, that authorities seized in a drug bust.
The owner of a Lark Street bar has voiced concern about Albany’s Lark Street revitalization project, pointing to a decline in customers due to sidewalk construction outside his business.
A State Police investigation confirmed a Troy police officer was driving nearly 90 mph in seconds before his SUV drove through a red light at a blind Hoosick Street intersection, killing a 30-year-old man whose Honda sedan was broadsided in the February crash.
The NFL announced that multi-time award-winning R&B artist Usher will headline its Super Bowl LVIII halftime show in Las Vegas.
“It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list,” the eight-time Grammy winner said.
