{"id":12233,"date":"2023-09-04T18:30:05","date_gmt":"2023-09-05T01:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/?p=12233"},"modified":"2023-12-28T16:07:13","modified_gmt":"2023-12-29T00:07:13","slug":"yom-kippur-most-solemn-of-jewish-religious-holidays-just-a-few-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/09\/04\/yom-kippur-most-solemn-of-jewish-religious-holidays-just-a-few-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"Yom Kippur, most solemn of Jewish religious holidays – Just a few facts!"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Yom Kippur means \u201cDay of Atonement.\u201d It is the holiest and most solemn day of the Jewish year and is a fast day. According to tradition, at the end of Yom Kippur, God \u201cseals\u201d our fates for the coming year (i.e., whether we will be inscribed in the Book of Life). The main themes of this day are sin, repentance (teshuvah) and atonement.<\/p>

Although Yom Kippur is a solemn occasion there is also great joy on the day that our sins are forgiven as the community recites the Al Chet<\/em> prayer (confession of sins) \u201cwith a sense of confidence and even rejoicing\u201d (<\/p>

Yom Kippur is mentioned in the Torah as \u201cYom Hakippurim<\/em>\u201d in Vayikra (Leviticus)\u00a023: 27-28: \u201cMark, the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement (Yom Hakippurim<\/em>). It shall be a sacred occasion for you: you shall practice self-denial\u2026you shall do no work throughout that day.\u201d<\/p>

[Yom Kippur] is observed in a manner that will remove the worshipper from every aspect of the mundane world.\u201d Jews observe Yom Kippur by fasting, attending synagogue, praying, refraining from work and pleasurable activities, reflecting on the past year and contemplating the future.<\/p>

The prayer book that is used at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services is called a\u00a0mahzor<\/em>\u00a0(a\u00a0siddur\u00a0<\/em>is used the rest of the year). Unlike the siddur, the mahzor includes lots of liturgical poetry (piyyutim<\/em>), the prayer \u201cAvinu Malkeinu\u201d (\u201cOur Father, Our King\u201d) and the shofar.<\/p>

The day before Yom Kippur, the last meal (aka. the\u00a0se\u2019udah hamafseket<\/em>) must be eaten before sundown. Candles are also lit with the blessing \u201cl\u2019hadlik ner shel yom hakipurim<\/em>.\u201d Additionally, if one\u2019s parent or parents are deceased, a special memorial candle (called a\u00a0ner neshama<\/em>) is lit in their memory and burns for the entire holiday.<\/p>

A shofar is a ram\u2019s horn that is blown at Rosh Hashanah services and at the end of Yom Kippur services, as well as every morning of\u00a0Elul<\/em>. The four sounds of the shofar are\u00a0tekiah<\/em>,\u00a0shevarim<\/em>,\u00a0teruah<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0tekiah gedolah<\/em>. A long blast of\u00a0tekiah gedolah<\/em> is blown at the end of Yom Kippur to signify the end of the holiday.<\/div><\/div><\/section>
Some traditions observed at Yom Kipper.<\/h5>

Leather-free shoes <\/strong>Most communities uphold the custom of not wearing leather shoes on Yom Kippur. Leather shoes were historically considered luxury apparel. So, keeping with the humble spirit of Yom Kippur, Jewish tradition recommends avoiding leather shoes to demonstrate a willingness to forego luxury. In order to avoid leather footwear, many wear canvas sneakers, flip-flops, Crocs, or wedge sandals.<\/p>

White clothes <\/strong>In many communities around the world, it is traditional to dress in white on Yom Kippur. This symbolizes purity and the opportunity to begin the new year with a clean slate.<\/p>

Breaking the fast <\/strong>\u201cBreak fast\u201d (no, not breakfast) is the meal eaten immediately after Yom Kippur to break the fast. In many Ashkenazi American homes, it\u2019s common to serve bagels, cream cheese, kugel, fresh fruit and coffee. In Sephardic homes, the menu might include dairy foods, soups and stews, and other dishes that would be served at a lunch or dinner as opposed to brunch. However, each family has their own break fast customs.<\/p>

Lighting a memorial candle\u00a0 <\/span>If one\u2019s parent or parents are deceased, a special memorial candle, often called a Yahrzeit candle or \u201cner neshama<\/em>\u201d in Hebrew, is lit prior to beginning the fast in their memory and burns for the entire holiday.<\/p>

Tashlich\u00a0 <\/strong>Tashlich is a ceremony in which Jews throw pieces of bread into a body of water to symbolize casting away their sins. Before performing Tashlich, it is customary to reflect on the past year as part of the Teshuvah process, in order to \u201ccast away\u201d your wrongdoings.\u00a0 Verses from the Book of Micah are recited, such as, \u201cHe will take us back in love; He will cover up our iniquities, You will cast (tashlich) all our sins into the depths of the sea\u201d (7:19).\u00a0 Although Tashlich is typically done on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, it can be performed until the end of Sukkot.<\/p>

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Yom Kippur means \u201cDay of Atonement.\u201d It is the holiest and most solemn day of the Jewish year and is a fast day. According to tradition, at the end of Yom Kippur, God \u201cseals\u201d our fates for the coming year (i.e., whether we will be inscribed in the Book of Life). The main themes of this day are sin, repentance…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-holidays"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/shofar-tallit-high-holidays-yom-kippur-rosh-hashanah.webp","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcJuXT-3bj","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":58,"url":"https:\/\/rabbi-mercy.com\/home\/index.php\/2018\/03\/09\/the-most-important-jewish-holidays\/","url_meta":{"origin":12233,"position":0},"title":"The Most Important Jewish Holidays","author":"admin","date":"09\/03\/2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Rosh HashanahThe Jewish New Year, the beginning of ten days of penitence or\u00a0teshuvah\u00a0culminating on Yom Kippur. 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