In Yom Kippur message, Obama urges ‘a life of meaning… to create a better future’

US President Barack Obama wished Jews worldwide an “easy and meaningful” Yom Kippur fast, and said the holy day was both a reminder to take stock and a testament to the capacity to lead a life of meaning.

In a message issued at the start of the fast day on Tuesday evening, Obama said: “I extend my best wishes for an easy and meaningful fast as Jewish communities in the United States, Israel, and around the world observe Yom Kippur.

“The Day of Atonement is a humble reminder to take stock of our shortcomings – but also a testament to our capacity to change and to grow, to lead a life of meaning, and to make a difference in the lives of others,” he continued. “Through our prayers, deeds and character, we can do our small part to create a better future for ourselves and our world.

“On behalf of Michelle and our family, G’mar Chatimah Tovah,” he signed off, using the Hebrew greeting that literally means “a good final sealing” and refers to the idiomatic hope of inscription in the Book of Life for another year.

Ten days earlier, Obama had extended his eighth and final Rosh Hashanah greeting, wishing Jews in the US, Israel and across the world “another sweet year full of hope, health and happiness.”

In a video posted on the eve of the Jewish New Year holiday, the president said that it was an “opportunity to start over, as well as an obligation to look back with humility.”

https://youtu.be/Xt15GZJmrfQ

Obama spoke of the Days of Awe which begin on Rosh Hashanah and end at the close of Yom Kippur wherein Jews ask for forgiveness, compassion and mercy from God, their families and friends, adding that it was also a time “to ask of ourselves something only we can control: the strength to do better. To be better. To make the world we live in a kinder, more peaceful place. To hear in the sacred shofar blast a call from within to change.”

In a preamble that accompanied the video, the White House said this Rosh Hashanah comes at a particularly “difficult time for many across the globe as we mourn the loss of former Israeli president and prime minister Shimon Peres,” who Obama called “an inspiring force for peace.”

“For me personally, my last Rosh Hashanah in the White House is a chance to reflect on the great privilege I’ve had as president to work closely with the Jewish community. To speak at synagogues here in the United States and abroad. To place a private prayer in the ancient cracks of the Kotel. To retell the timeless story of the Exodus at our annual White House Seders. And to walk through Buchenwald with Elie Wiesel, meet with young Israelis in Jerusalem, and present the Medal of Freedom to Shimon Peres,” said Obama in the video.

“While we have accomplished much together in the last seven and a half years, much work remains – as it always does. But that’s what the Jewish New Year reminds us: that our job is never done. It’s an honor for my family to wish yours. Shana Tova!”