Rant #1,985: New Year's Day

The Jewish New Year celebration begins tonight at sundown with Rosh Hashanah.

Jews all over the world will meet with their families, and reflect on the past year, making sure they did things the right way during the year.

The New Year celebration ends next week with Yom Kippur, the absolute holiest day on the Jewish calendar, which is different than the calendar we normally use because it is based on the lunar cycle.

I spoke about the season way back in Rant No. 91, September 18, 2009, so let's revisit that Rant, in edited form:

"Tonight is the start of the holiest period during the year for Jews around the world. Rosh Hashanah commences this period, starting at sundown. This holiday continues for the next two days.

Next week, Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, commences, and lasts a single day,.

Although I am not a religious Jew by any stretch of the imagination, I do participate in these holidays. They are holidays that ask Jews to examine their strengths, and weaknesses, during the past year and to reflect on how they can improve themselves during the upcoming year. They are holidays of both introspection and group prayer. During Yom Kippur, observant Jews fast, to show their forgiveness to God, and also to show their strength.

It is with this understanding of what the holiday means that I have always had this conundrum with how the rest of the world should look at these holidays. Should the “outside” world recognize this holy time of year or simply ignore it?

Living in New York, where there are a large amount of Jews, has made these holidays pretty well known by the non-Jewish population. In fact, schools are generally closed during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

I once found out years ago that the reason New York City schools close on these holidays is that since such a large portion of their teachers are Jewish, it was not prudent to open when three-quarters of the teachers would be out.

This year, there are the usual myriad controversies revolving around whether certain events should be held on these holidays or not.

Professional sports leagues will go about their business during these holidays, and the Yankees have their game against the Twins today scheduled at 1 p.m. Although not specified, I bet a lot of that thinking for game time was that it shows respect for the holiday, although none of the Yankees' players are Jewish.

When my son was in Little League, the league would, every year, schedule games on the first two nights of Passover. Although Passover is not one of the holiest occasions on the Jewish calendar, it is a holiday which revolves around the family, and the traditional seder, and garners wide participation even among non-observant Jews.

The league, of course, never had a game on Easter Sunday.

His current bowling league also pretty much ignores the Jewish holidays, and will hold its bowling schedule next Saturday on Yom Kippur.

My workplace does not give me off for the Jewish holidays, even though the owner, who is since deceased, was Jewish himself. I have to take the day(s) off as personal days.

Is this right? Shouldn’t everyone be given days off to celebrate their most holiest of holidays, whether it be Yom Kippur or Good Friday?

However, should business stop because a major religious holiday is being celebrated?

I don’t have an answer, and it is something that has puzzled me for years. These are religious holidays, and thus, they are more personal than say July 4 or Labor Day are.

The bottom line is this: do we suspend our usual day's activities because a major religion has one of its holiest days to celebrate?"

Yes, that is the question to ponder today.

Whatever the case, to those who observe the holiday, have a wonderful Rosh Hashanah, and have a great New Year. I will speak to you again on Friday.