Today is Yom Kippur

This holiest of holidays for Jews is often referred to as the day of atonement.    It is on this day that the faithful fast from sundown (yesterday) to sundown (this evening) as a way to physically cleanse the body while clearing the mind and soul through prayer.   During the ten days between Rosh Hashana (the new year) and Yom Kippur, it is customary for Jews to beg forgiveness for their transgressions during the prior year in order to wipe the slate clean for the coming year.

Last week, Ramadan ended with Eid ul-Fitr, after a lunar month of daily fasting.  During Ramadan, Muslims also ask forgiveness for past sins as well as pray to purify themselves.    It is a time for atonement and cleansing.    I am sensing a theme.

Judaism and Islam share their god, although they have different names for Him.   They are both “people of the book”, would there be a Quran without the Torah?    Hebrew and Arabic are Semitic languages.  Israelis eat food very similar to the food eaten throughout the rest of the Middle East.   A deep and abiding love for God and  strong family values are core tenets for both Jews and Muslims.  With so much in common, why can’t they get along?   Why do they concentrate on small differences when the similarities are  so much more profound?

Instead of vociferously proclaiming our disparity from one another, I suggest we focus on the similarities.  In doing so , we will recognize our kinship.   Once we’ve done that, we can build a brighter future, together, for everyone.