Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are those rare times for me when I consistently feel that the spiritual world is more real than the physical world. Listen here and here.
I grew up a Protestant, a branch of Christianity with few rituals. I then converted to Orthodox Judaism, a religion filled with rituals. It was not an easy change, and Orthodox Judaism is not an easy path, but my ritual-filled life is far more exciting. I like that the days, weeks, months and years have a rhythm. There was nothing I experienced in Christianity that compared to Yom Kippur.
My first experience of Yom Kippur in a synagogue was a Kol Nidre service in Orlando in the fall of 1993. It was unbearable. It went on and on for about two hours of ritualized prayer. Ever since then, I’ve made sure I was equipped for long high holiday prayer services by bringing interesting books on Judaism to read.
To experience God, it helps to put yourself in a place where you are more likely to feel God. For example, on Yom Kippur, a Jew could go to a ballgame or to a bar or to a movie and he’s going to be less likely to experience God in those places than if he goes to shul. On the other hand, he may be more likely to experience God at a 12-step meeting than at a shul.
You’re going to more likely feel God’s presence at Yosemite than walking down a trashy street like Melrose Blvd.
