On the threshold of Yom Kippur

In these trembling Covid days, more than in any other year, as we stand on the threshold of a new year, the ancient Jewish tradition of entering the holiest of days in a Talit, seems compelling more than ever. Wrapped in it, we are not alone. With us stand our ancestors, who handed us their resilience and hope. With us stand leaders and friends of our people wherever they are, alongside leaders and friends of all humanity. With us stands our planet, nature and its wisdom. Thoughts on the Talit, on guarding one’s light and spiritual health, on the threshold of this Yom Hakippurim. Rabbi Tamar Elad-Appelbaum is the founder and rabbi of Kehilat Zion in Jerusalem, and co-founder and head of the Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis of the Hartman Institute, and HaMidrasha at Oranim. In 2010, she was chosen by “The Forward” as one of the five influential women religious leaders in Israel, for her work promoting Jewish pluralism and freedom.