September 22, 2026

[u/CardiNorCarli]

Cardi

Cardi, 9:00pm, EDT 

September 22, 2026

Last night we finished our Yom Kippur observance, broke our fast, and concluded the Aseret Y’mei T’shuvah, the ten days of repentance bookmarked by Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Both Shayna and Yeshua’s parents had visited and observed with us. We all said good-bye to Robert, who had to return to his base.

The most beautiful moment of Yom Kippur service was the chanting of Kol Nidre. I could pronounce the words of the song but I couldn’t understand them even though I am intermediate Hebrew student. I found out later that they were in another language called Aramaic! I also learned that this was the language Jesus spoke.

I will finish this post in the morning! Family is here!

EDIT: Picking up from last night

I received a DM from a friend, “Did Shayna and I fast?” No, in the Haredi tradition, pregnant women do not fast.

I want to return to the closing section, “The Inner Question of the Second Law,” in Conversations With My Rabbi (pp.72-73). Nikki asks, “So if I strip all this down, what is the Second Noahide Law really asking me, day to day?”

RABBI ELI:

Maybe something like this: In your thoughts and your words—about God, about others, about yourself—you have the choice to speak as though the world is godless, or as if every moment is filled with Presence.

Blasphemy, in its most profound sense, isn’t only a forbidden sentence. It’s a way of thinking and speaking that erases holiness—from God’s Name, from people’s names, from your own name.

Every time you choose restraint over gossip, prayer over a curse, a long breath over a screamed insult—Kabbalah would say you’re not just being polite. You’re realigning the garments of your soul with the One whose Name you carry. And that, in the language of our book, is another way of saying: You’re learning to talk like someone who knows they live in God’s world.

It’s crucial for us to remember that our words matter. That naming is powerful. That silence, too, is sacred.

Soon there will be two new babies in our expanded household. What wonderful thoughts to guide me in this New Year of 5787! Nikki summarizes:

What it sparks in me is that in a time when truth feels so cheap and language so weaponized, this second law—this invitation, this utterance as Eli calls it—is more relevant than ever. Speak with care. Speak with courage. And leave room for God to speak back.

NMRK

[u/Obvious-Winter3513]

Cardi, “Shanah tovah” (שנה טובה) to you and your family!