A treadmill of the soul
September 30, 2006
I suspect many of us outside of the Jewish faith wonder about fasting as a religious discipline. This article provides some interesting insights into the practice that should be helpful to anyone concerned about the health of their souls.
Some of my Jewish friends will approach Yom Kippur next week a bit as if they were running in a marathon. Once a year, they gear up for the big race: an all-day service at synagogue along with a fast that calls for no food or water for more than 24 hours.
Even among the most secular of Jews, fasting on the Day of Atonement is one religious tradition that has somehow managed to survive. It is as if this fast were a bridge linking old-world religion with New Age devotion to health and fitness: Even those who lack religious fervor will approach the prospect of not eating or drinking once a year as a kind of extreme work-out — a treadmill of the soul.
That last sentence is a particularly felicitous turn of phrase. I probably could benefit from such an extreme workout.
Dave, who suspects a certain flabbiness of the soul.
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“treadmill of the soul” is indeed a nicely-turned phrase.