Dear John and all Doves,
      When the Christ/Messiah who is the torah made flesh and dwelt with humankind refers to something in the torah, it becomes even more important. "As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." This is from Matthew 24:37-39 in the English Standard Version.
      These are some of the cares of life the Master warned us about. In essence, we are warned not to be overly indulged in the flesh, the senses, the sensorium, worldly things, and the cares of life. There is one day of days when these cares of life can be put on hold. It is Yom Kippur, the last of the Days of Awe. THE DAYS? On this day, unlike the many of the world, the few eat not, drink not, marry not, and give not in marriage. How can one be drunk on Yom Kippur if one drinks nothing. It goes against the pattern of the whole world.Those of us who have ever fasted know that it is a powerful spiritual discipline. One sees things differently. The spirit, rather than the flesh and the senses, is the focus.
      Yom Kippur fulfills much of the earlier promise of the Feast of Trumpets, the earlier Days of Awe, and the 40 days of preparation in repentence for The Fast. These layers of days, the 10 and the 40, all are concluded on Yom Kippur. Who would expect Christ/Messiah to come on such a day as this? A few might. After this day, the tone shifts to joy as plans begin to design and build the succahs/tabernacles/booths. The days are before us until Yom Kippur and then to the days of Tishri 15-22, the days from 1-8 of the Feast of Tabernacles. In spirit and the blessed hope, may we watch, prepare, repent, look up and pray. As were the days, so shall...

With Love and Shalom,
Jean Stepnoski