In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and you shall not do any work … For on that day he shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins before the Lord. — Leviticus 16:29-30
Marvin Goldstein, who converted from Judaism to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1985 at the age of 35, says it's a shame more Mormons don't recognize others' major religious holidays.
"There's a total disconnect," said Goldstein, an accomplished pianist. "Mormons profess to believe all of these (principles of the holidays) yet know nothing about the holidays that even Christ would have celebrated."
Goldstein says Mormons need to understand that everyone worships the same God and that LDS people have a commonality with other religions.
"We almost isolate ourselves," Goldstein said. "I'm part of both worlds. I think it's a beautiful way to celebrate the restored religion (Goldstein emphasizes the word restored). I'd love to open the box a little bit. We need not to be scared to learn about and to celebrate these holidays."
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, agrees. In fact, he wears a mezuza necklace and has written music for Hanukkah.
"A Jewish rabbi friend of mine gave me a mezuza 30 years ago, and since then I've worn it every day," Hatch said. "I only take it off at night. I wear it as a spiritual emblem of my respect for the Middle East and Israel. I have always had very strong feelings about Israel, as do many Latter-day Saints. When BYU was struggling to get the Jerusalem Center built on Mount Scopus, they asked me to help, and I found my friends in Israel were accepting of the idea once they understood the amount of respect we have for them.
"The Jewish holidays I am mostly familiar with are Hanukkah, Purim and Rosh Hashana. Like most Latter-day Saints, I am intently interested in the Old and New Testaments and all aspects of the Holy Land, including the travails of the Jewish people down through the ages. Latter-day Saints empathize greatly with the Jewish people and the incredible hardships, privations, prejudices and holocausts that they have endured. The Book of Mormon has given us an even greater insight concerning the Middle East and the full 12 Tribes of Israel, including the tribe of Judah. I also respect the Jewish devotion to education, business, self-improvement and the arts and sciences, just to mention a few."
Yom Kippur, or the "Day of Atonement," is one holiday Mormons certainly ought to understand, Goldstein said.
In 2010, it falls on Saturday, Sept. 18 — the 10th day of the month of Tishrei — ending the annual period known as the High Holy Days.
On this day, considered by Jews to be the holiest day of the year, there are special restrictions against eating and drinking (even water), washing, annointing one's body with anything of chemical origin — including cosmetics and deodorants — having marital or sexual relations and the wearing of leather shoes for 25 hours (from the sundown prior to nightfall the day of). It's treated as a complete Sabbath, no work can be performed.
The lengths of periods of fasting and communing can vary, Goldstein said, with orthodox Jews more strict with some aspects of observance than others.
Most Jews traditionally spend the day in fasting and intense prayer, often in synagogue services.
Jewish people believe God inscribes each person's fate for the coming year into the book on Rosh Hashanah and waits until Yom Kippur to seal the verdict. The day, set aside to afflict the soul, is essentially the last day on which to convince God to make a more favorable decision.
During the Days of Awe prior to Yom Kippur, people try to amend their behavior and seek forgiveness for sins against God and others. (If a person has offended another person, reconciliation needs to be sought and made before Yom Kippur.)
It is customary to wear white. Some Jews wear a kittel or the white robe in which the dead are buried.
The evening and day of Yom Kippur are set aside for public and private petitions and confessions.
At the close of Yom Kippur, the sinner considers his or her self absolved by God.
The Yom Kippur prayer service includes several unique aspects: One is the actual number of prayer services.
On a normal day, there are three prayer services: the evening prayer, the morning prayer and the afternoon prayer.
On a Shabbat or Yom Toy, there are four prayer services, but on Yom Kippur, there are five and a public confession of sins. (A separate prayer book exists for Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah.)
There is also a prayer dedicated solely to the Yom Kippur service of the Kohen Gadol in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The services end with a long blast on the shofar.
Many Jewish people who may not observe other Jewish holidays observe Yom Kippur. The number of worshippers in the synagogues often doubles or triples on Yom Kippur.
"If any religion is closest to our religion, it's Judaism," Goldstein said. "The light is from Christ, who is a Jew."
Goldstein said he doesn't feel a need as a Mormon to observe Yom Kippur because through the LDS sacrament service he renews his covenants with God every week.
He does believe the Day of Atonement ought to be understood by Mormons who he says will one day need to be ready to welcome 14 million Jewish members into their fold.
"More Mormons need to be more sensitive to Jews. They're one and the same. They have the same God but one is spelled Jesus and the other is called the Messiah. The repentance process is the same," he said. "The point is, the LDS Church has nothing new. It's all restored."
e-mail: haddoc@desnews.com