We consider time this Yom Kippur

Published 7:24 pm Thursday, October 2, 2014

Today at sundown is the start of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, or the “Day of Atonement.” Yom Kippur is widely believed by Jewish faithful worldwide to be the day God writes the truly repentant into life’s pages for another year.

But we all should remember that life is brief and could end for any of us at any moment. Another year is a gift beyond measure.

It would benefit our society if its people would recall that the lengths of time before their birth and after their death are both quite long.

For the bulk of U.S. citizens, the awareness that eternity may not be a series of random accidents, is the determining factor in their decisions of what is right and wrong.

This is a good choice.

There are a few different ways to number years; a Chinese New Year, a Jewish New Year, a Gregorian New Year and many others. They all boil down to one overriding consideration; the gift of time.

The time is now to bring an end to the situations that cause a broken world. This is why the abuse of the gift of time can be rightly perceived as a disaster.

In the history of the world, there has never been an era when so many nations and peoples have agreed on some of the fundamental quandaries facing all; clean water, air, oceans, farm lands, living conditions, educational needs, and the cruel abuse of the helpless for monetary gain. It will take time to bring those problems to a close.

And what better commodity do Americans have to give than time? In the world, Americans are blessed with a combination of tools, practical understanding and more free time, even in today’s economy, than anywhere else. These are unspeakably valuable resources.

Adequately funded people, giving of their time, is what the world needs most. Money itself cannot look an abused child in the eyes and draw out their wounds. Material items cannot assure an exploited woman she is yet a worthwhile human being after being trafficked as an object by the world’s cruelest entrepreneurs.

And while a school building can be expertly built by Western engineers in a remote jungle, unless a teacher commits himself or herself to those with deeply entangled needs, the building will soon be overgrown with vines and weeds. Someone must literally walk with those people and spend time with them, or nothing will be accomplished.

No physician can treat a patient effectively without seeing them. The eradication of illiteracy or the banishment of unsanitary lifestyles are no different. Billions of dollars of aid are wasted each year in the embarrassing cover-up of the sad reality that there are too few workers in the fields.

Jewish faithful know that the biblical prophet Micah wrote “this is what the Lord requires of thee; to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with thy God.” (Micah 6:8)

Each of those requirements asks us to ensure our remaining time is considered worthy.