Grand Theft Atonement

I have to admit that I procrastinated a little more then usual before writing this sermon. But, it wasn't all my fault. I was distracted by Grand Theft Auto Four. Now, I know the controversy has pretty much boiled over at this point, but now that I'm playing it, I have to admit to seeing more than a few good life lessons in the game.

Don't drink and drive, because if you do, you'll hit a pole, flip over three times, skid across a major freeway and fall into the Hudson River.

Make friends, help them out, and they'll return the favor… by referring you to a high level Mafia don.

And finally, when the police try to pull you over, if you drive really really fast, they'll just think you're not worth the trouble and forget about you.

While these are all important lessons, it's really the last item that I'm dealing with tonight.

It brings me to the other reason why I started writing this sermon late, and why I missed one of the services in this holy week, I've been very busy. Two jobs, classes, and plenty more.

There are many people, and I count myself very much among them, who live their lives running pretty fast. We aren't running from anything—certainly not the cops (I hope…)—but TO something. It might be graduation, a promotion, or any number of things. I know for me, and many others, even when we are standing still, our heads keep going, figuring out solutions to problems and moving forward with plans. In many ways it's the nature of the time and place we live in. Better things are always just a hard day's work away. This…drive…to achieve isn't a bad thing, far from it. Ninety-Nine point Nine percent of the time, it's a good thing to be always reaching for the stars.

But today, we are reaching for the stars in a different way.

A traditional name for Yom Kippur is Yom Tzom, a Day of Fasting. In the Torah, we are instructed that "On the 10th day of the seventh month… you shall practice innah nefesh… self denial." Rabbi Debra J. Robbins, from Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, Texas, explains that, for the ancient Hebrews, this meant to fast and refrain from food and drink for a limited period of time. As history progressed, interpreters in the Talmud expanded on the rules for fasting.

Soon, the tradition became not only to abstain from food and drink, but also from bathing, sexual intimacy, and the wearing of leather and extravagant clothing. That was during the second century. I think it may again be time to think about what exactly innah nefesh means and, more importantly, how to seek repentance and ask for atonement.

Martin Buber, one of the great Jewish scholars, teaches about the I-Thou connection. Buber tells us that the only way to seek God is to seek each other… and through that connection, we become holy. When you are living life on the fast lane, no matter how many people are beside you, it is impossible to make that sort of connection. Our drive to move forward, and to accomplish, allows us to achieve great things, but without the ability to communicate, connect, and look back on a year past, these great things are little more than dust.

Anyone can tell you that I am far from a Luddite. As an IT major, I work with technology every day. I go through dozens of e-mails, read hundreds of blogs, play Sudoku on my phone, and text like a maniac. But this year, if we want to repent and sincerely think back on our year, if we truly wish to seek forgiveness- from each other and from God- we can't do it without slowing down. Not only that, but at our constant hyperactive rates, we are in danger of losing our spiritual selves.

So… this Yom Kippur, I encourage you to practice Grand Theft Atonement. When the truth is that our schedules say we really don't have the time for prayer or spirituality, we need to steal back our lives from ourselves, even if it is only for 24 hours.

This year, don't let your fast be isolated only to food. Allow me to lead the way. I've already put my e-mail on vacation mode. Now, I know that many of you only have your cell phones on silence, not actually off. Watch this:

*turn off phone*

That's really off. Really! The Facebook message about the sorority party will just have to wait. The act of innah nefesh—self denial—is about giving ourselves the time to truly think about the past year and seek forgiveness from God and each other. In the modern world, that means more than just to stop eating for the next 24 hours. Now it may not be possible for everyone to leave their communications channels behind, but I encourage you to try and turn it off for at least an hour or two and see if you can make that I-Thou connection.

To forgive is divine, so steal time and energy away from that rapid forward movement and try to find the divine in your personal connection with those around you.

G'mar Chatimah Tovah: "May you be sealed for a good year in the Book of Life."