By Junno Arocho
VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 20, 2012 (Zenit.org).- In a telegram addressed to Dr. Riccardo Di Segni, Chief Rabbi of Rome, Pope Benedict XVI sent greetings to the Jewish community on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot.
Rosh Hashanah is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days that celebrates the new year, while Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is considered the holiest day of the year which reflects on the themes of repentance and atonement. It is followed by Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles, last for seven days and calls to mind the humble dwellings the Israelites lived in after the exodus from Egypt.
The Holy Father wished peace and well-being to the Jewish community of Rome during the High Holy Days, while “invoking from the Most High copious blessings for the new year.
Concluding his message, the Pope hoped “that Jews and Christians, growing in mutual esteem and friendship, will be able to witness in the world the values that spring from adoration of the One God.”
