The Book of Life https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/uncategorized/2013/09/the-book-of-life/

September 9, 2013 | Philologos
About the author: Philologos, the renowned Jewish-language columnist, appears twice a month in Mosaic. Questions for him may be sent to his email address by clicking here.

The concept of a divine ledger in which God inscribes the fate of each Jew during the High Holy Days stretches back to the shared religious cultures of the ancient Middle East.

Read more on Forward: http://forward.com/articles/183461/may-you-be-inscribed-in-the-book-of-life-for-/?p=all