Contact Information
The Spectator
A Week of Faith On the Hill
By Jessie Brown '12Features Writer
By Lauren Moon '10
Features Editor
Islam
Ramadan, a month-long holiday in the Islamic faith, has been going on for over twenty days now and concludes on September 30. For about 30 days (depending on the cycle of the moon), Muslims around the world fast, abstaining not only from food and water, but also from other "impure" activities such as "bad thoughts and actions, cursing, things people normally do," says Muslim Student Association President Del Abdelwahab, '10. In exchange, they try to think of God and others. "It's hard to just think about drinking when you're hungry," he continues. The fast promotes the values of mercy and generosity, and helps understand the hunger felt by less fortunate people in hopes that the generosity continues.
The Muslim Student Association, or MSA, formulated the idea of the Fast-A-Thon to give students of other faiths the idea of fasting for the betterment of others. True to the spirit of giving, Bon Appétit donated the food that participating students would have otherwise consumed to Our Neighbors, a Utica charity. After a day of fasting, students enjoyed a meal catered by the Phoenician.
It is a belief of Islam that the prophet Muhammad received the Qu'ran, the Muslim holy book from God, and so brought mercy to the world. The Qu'ran contains 30 chapters, and Muslims read a chapter each day of Ramadan as part of their nightly prayers, in addition to going to mosque more often than usual.
Judaism
Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish New Year, is one of the most important holidays of Judaism. It is a day for celebrating the beginning of the year and a time for reflection on the past – how you have behaved, what you have done, and how you can improve, according to Anat Guez, Jewish Chaplain and Lecturer in Hebrew. It is a time to reflect on your responsibilities to yourself, to your community, and the world around you. Says Guez, "On Rosh Hashanah, God opens a book and everyone goes in the book. You have ten days, until Yom Kippur, to reflect, and after Yom Kippur, God judges."
These ten days are not just a time of judgment; they are a time of repentance. The holiday is full of symbolism, including the symbolic act that involves going to any body of flowing water, or what Professor Guez calls "live water." Some people bring bread to toss away, as a symbol of casting away their sins, while others meditate on their bad actions beside the water. The process is a means of dispelling negativity so the year can begin anew. Other symbols involve food. Typical foods include apples dipped in honey, as a sign of a sweet year, and pomegranates, which are full of seeds and represent abundance and wealth. Some even eat fish heads, to symbolize getting ahead rather than falling behind.
According to the Jewish calendar, Monday is the first day of the first month, called Tishri. The holiday lasts from Monday to Wednesday, and, like all Jewish holidays it begins and ends at sundown. The celebration starts with the playing of the shofar, an instrument made of a ram's horn, which emits a loud, resonating sound. This is believed to "open the skies to our voices and our prayers," explains Guez, so that God can hear the requests of forgiveness. God cannot forgive all, though; sins between people must be forgiven by people, so this holiday is the time to ask for that forgiveness.
Hamilton, recognizing the Jewish students and faculty's need to celebrate the holiday, will hold services Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in the Bristol Center. "A student rabbi from JTS in New York is coming to perform the services," says Guez. The celebration will also include a festive meal containing the holiday's symbolic foods and a blessing over them.
Christianity
Members of Christian Fellowship sponsored a tent on Monday with various stations devoted to contemplation and prayer. Each area of the tent was intended to project aspects of the Christian faith into a broader focus that people of any faith could relate to.
The Reality Wall depicted news clippings of injustices around the world including bombings, financial crises, and educational woes. The Forgiveness Cross offered visitors the opportunity to write down a sin and post it on the cross. The Wailing Wall was an opportunity for passersby to post issues in the world that they personally mourn for. The tent also included an art wall and writing implements for any type of expression someone may have been inclined to post. The tent also offered a more traditional prayer/meditation section equipped with mats for anyone who wanted to simply sit and reflect.
Elijah LaChance '10, a member of Christian Fellowship and active participant in the prayer tent, spent three hours on Monday in constant prayer and reflection. LaChance said he saw the prayer tent as an, "opportunity for people to see right out there how Christian Fellowship is addressing these worldly problems. It also helps them to consider how they could respond to these issues in their own life."
LaChance was quick to point out that the tent was not a place for only Christians, and those in reflection need not think Christian thoughts. "This isn't a check your Islamic roots at the door tent," Elijah remarked. "College in general is a place to consider your beliefs and your place in the world." The prayer tent was an outreach opportunity for all students to ponder, assess, and relate on their own level of spirituality. As Elijah says, "Come as you are, and leave as you leave… which may not be the same as you were."