| Yom Kippur: Monday, Sept. 28, to Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2009 |
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur, which occurs on the tenth of Tishrei, is the holiest day of the Jewish year. While Rosh Hashanah has many festive elements, Yom Kippur — the Day of Atonement — is completely dedicated to repentance and prayers for forgiveness. On Rosh Hashanah, Jews pray that God will write their names in the Book of Life; on Yom Kippur, Jews pray that God will seal their names in the Book of Life. As on Rosh Hashanah, repentance, prayer and good deeds are believed to influence God's decision to grant individuals another year of life.
Yom Kippur is described in the Bible as a day of “self-denial” (Leviticus 16:31). Over the millennia, the meaning of this phrase has been interpreted in many different ways. Common forms of “self-denial” on Yom Kippur include fasting, refraining from bathing for any but the most basic hygienic purposes, abstaining from sexual relations, and the wearing of non-leather shoes. Yom Kippur is observed in all communities for one day only, since a two-day fast would pose an extreme hardship.
As on Rosh Hashanah, people do not participate in their regular activities such as work and school. Yom Kippur is so important, in fact, that many Jews spend the whole day in synagogue. Rabbis, cantors, worshipers, Torah scrolls, and synagogue furnishings continue to be clothed in white as on Rosh Hashanah, symbolizing purity and repentance.
Yom Kippur begins before sundown with a ritual called “Kol Nidrei” (all vows). The Kol Nidrei prayer asks God to cancel an individual's vows that cannot be fulfilled. Ashkenazic Jews (Jews whose families came from Eastern Europe) specifically ask that they be released from vows made during the year that has just ended. Sephardic Jews (Jews from Spain, Portugal, and the Near East) ask that God forgive them for vows that they will make and be unable to honor in the New Year.
In most synagogues, the Kol Nidrei prayer is sung to a beautiful melody that has become a cherished part of the observance of Yom Kippur. As part of this ritual, as the congregation rises, three Torah scrolls are removed from the ark to serve as “witnesses” to the prayers of the congregants.
The prayers of Yom Kippur build on and intensify the themes of Rosh Hashanah. Throughout the day, worshipers ask God to forgive their individual sins as well as the sins of humanity as a whole. The Yom Kippur prayer book contains long lists of confessions that are read in unison by all the worshippers.
An important part of the observance of Yom Kippur is the Yizkor memorial service. The word Yizkor is based on the Hebrew word zakor, which means “remember.” There are four Yizkor services during the Jewish calendar year: Yom Kippur, the last day of Sukkot, the last day of Passover, and the second day of Shavuot.
At a Yizkor service, one honors family members and friends who have died. In some congregations, there is the custom of honoring victims of the Holocaust. In some synagogues, the names of the people being remembered are read aloud. It is also a custom to create a Yizkor book, in which these names are included.
There are certain prayers that are always included in a Yizkor service. The 23rd Psalm (“The Lord is my shepherd”) reminds worshippers of God's unconditional love. The prayer “El Maley Rachamim” (God Full of Compassion) asks for the protection of the souls of those who have died. The Mourner's Kaddish is usually recited at the end of the service. This is a special prayer that is always recited in memory of those who have died.
The Yom Kippur “day” ends with a service called “Neilah.” The Hebrew word ne’ilah means “closing.” During the Neilah service, worshipers are reminded that the gates of heaven are about to close. They are urged to use the final moments of Yom Kippur to seek forgiveness and return to God’s service.
Neilah concludes with a single, long blast of the shofar. After this, the congregation recites havdalah together, separating the holiness of Yom Kippur from the rest of the week. In some congregations, worshipers remain at the synagogue to break their fast and to begin to build a sukkah in preparation for the next holiday.