An Environmental Yom Kippur?

 Last evening marked the beginning of the 24 hours of the Jewish high holiday known as Yom Kippur. It is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar and concludes a 10-day period known as the “Days of Awe” that begins with the Jewish New Year, which is called Rosh Hashanah.

According to a CNN 'splainer of Yom Kippur: 

Jews around the world are to face their misdeeds and sins over the year through worship and prayer so that they may atone for their wrongdoings. With fear and wonder in facing God’s judgment, Jews seek forgiveness. In doing so, people are called to self-reflect on their failings and flaws.

No matter how you spend the day, it’s a time to atone in your own way, whether in a synagogue or at home. Synagogues hold religious services throughout the day for practicing Jews to come pray introspectively, either asking for forgiveness or expressing regret of sins committed in the past year. Once you atone, it’s thought to be starting the Jewish new year with a “clean slate,” absolved of past transgressions.

I've noticed that there are increasing efforts to connect Yom Kippur with environmental justice, our need to atone for our degradation of the planet and an invitation to "fast" from mindless over-consumption. This is sometimes called "green repentance" or "environmental repentance."

Those of us who are Christians can express our respect and solidarity with Jews who are observing Yom Kippur today. And as we make our way through Creation Time we can ask how we might atone for our environmental sins against the Creator, the wrong-doing which affects us all, regardless of religion.