There are two readings for this Holy Day that particularly resonate with me. The first, in the morning, is the Haftarah: Isaiah 57:14-58:14, specifically 58:3-7, when God answers the people’s question:
“Why, when we fasted, did You not see?
When we starved our bodies, did You pay no heed?”
Because on your fast day
You see to your business
And oppress all your laborers!
Because you fast in strife and contention,
And you strike with a wicked fist!
Your fasting today is not such
As to make your voice heard on high.
Is such the fast I desire,
A day for men to starve their bodies?
Is it bowing the head like a bulrush
And lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Do you call that a fast,
A day when the LORD is favorable.
No, this is the fast I desire:
To unlock the fetters of wickedness,
And untie the cords of the yoke
To let the oppressed go free;
To break off every yoke.
It is to share your bread with the hungry,
And to take the wretched poor into your home;
When you see the naked, to clothe him,
And not to ignore your own kin.
The second, El Nora Alila, “God of Awesome Deeds,” is a liturgical poem set to music, sung near the end, when the metaphorical gates are about to close.
(Hebrew lyrics written by Moses ibn Ezra in Andalusia in 12th century;English adaptation written by Ari Schneider-Gans)
Divine presence above below, please allow us to show, our forgiveness and our trust, as the gates are closing on us
Mistakes and fabrications abound, sometimes so we can stand our ground, allow us to shake off all the rust as the gates are closing on us
Saying sorry is just a word, doesn’t mean that it will be heard, even though our feelings were crushed the gates are closing on us
Fear and hate were magnified in times where we just didn’t try, but forgiving us just seems a must, as the gates are closing on us
For all the past and all the harm, through all the times we caused alarm, please help us clean off all the dust, as the gates are closing on us
Don’t let this be the end, allow us to still be your friend. Please forgive and gain our trust, as the gates are closing on us
I wish all of you who observe the day an easy fast, and for all of us a future of peace and tranquility in which we fulfill the words of Isaiah.
rabbi.author 
Leave a comment