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I’m Sorry, and it Feels Good to Say So
Annual Atonement with Some Help from a Friend and a Fresca
I’m not a terribly observant Jew, but I have a special fondness for Yom Kippur, the most sacred day of the Jewish year. Unlike holidays that have historical relevance but less of a connection to modern-day life, on Yom Kippur we fast, confess, and pray in order to atone for whatever sins we may have committed in the past year. The prize is a clean conscience and a satisfying meal at sunset consisting of bagels and lox and, if I’m lucky, my mother’s whitefish salad.
Ever since I can remember, I have celebrated this holiday with our close family friends; this year, our tradition came to an abrupt end. My father died in June, my son left for college across the country, and my mother decided to stay for a while with my brother, also across the country. And then of course there’s the issue of my spacious apartment in which I hosted this annual dinner, which now belongs to another family. Thus I found myself, for the first time in my life, without a home and a family (minus my one child remaining at home) for the holiday.
My friend Jessica announced that she would host dinner at her house for a bunch of holiday-homeless people and I quickly counted myself and my daughter in. When I learned a few days later that the man I’ve been dating…
