Yom Kippur -"Jews Praying in the Synagogue" (1878)

 

This is one of my favorite paintings depicting the Jewish faith. "Jews Praying in the Synagogue" (1878) by the Polish arttist Maurycy Gottlieb. This High Holy Day is when the Jewish people ask forgiveness for their sins against God. For sins committed against their fellow man it is tradition that the offender ask forgiveness directly from the people they have offended. 

I was always taught that you were bound to ask for this forgiveness three times. If, after the 3rd attempt, your plea is denied, then the person offended is the one who carries the burden of unforgiveness. At the same time, I have always felt that there are certain cases in which you needn't forgive someone. Only you will know if you are right, or wrong in this. Your heart doesn't lie. 

Of interest in the painting is that the artist depicts himself three times in various stages of his own life. The central figure of the artist, middle aged, shows him holding his hand to his head in aparent anguish. The young child on the left, wearing a medallion bearing his initials in Hebrew, is also an image of himself, as is the young man to the right, reading from a prayer book while standing next to his father. Again, the number three seems to be a central element of the painting. I'm not sure if there is a connection between this and the tradition of asking for forgiveness three times, but it is an interesting thought. 

"G'mar chatima tova,” or “May you be sealed in the Book of Life” is the appropriate greeting for this, the most Holy Day of the Jewish Faith.