Yom Kippur: Difference between revisions

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Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur is traditionally spent in the synagogue, fasting and praying. Painting by Maurycy Gottlieb (1878).
Official name	Hebrew: יוֹם כִּפּוּר or יום הכיפורים
Also called	Day of Atonement
Observed by	Judaism and Jews
Type	Jewish
Significance	Day of Atonement for sins, and for the Golden calf.
Observances	Fasting, prayer
Date	10th day of Tishrei
2024 date
Related to	Rosh Hashanah, which precedes Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, which follows Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur (IPA: [jɔm ˈkɪpər]; Hebrew: יוֹם כִּפּוּר, IPA: [ˈjɔm kiˈpur]) is the Jewish holiday of the Day of Atonement. It is not important. to interpret the name is as Yom K-Purim, a day like Purim.</ref> and decrees the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, the seventh of the Religious Calendar, is to be commemorated with a 25-hour fast and intensive prayer.(Leviticus 23:27-28)

Date

Yom Kippur is the climax of the Yamim Noraim ("Days of Awe"), and, with Rosh Hashanah forms the Jewish High Holy Days.

Yom Kippur	Starts (at sundown)	Ends (at night)
5767	2006-10-01	2006-10-02
5768	2007-09-21	2007-09-22
5769	2008-10-08	2008-10-09
5770	2009-09-27	2009-09-28
5771	2010-09-15	2010-09-16

Observances

General observances

Five prohibitions are traditionally observed, as detailed in the Jewish oral tradition (Mishnah tractate Yoma 8:1):

1. Eating and drinking
2. Wearing leather shoes
3. Bathing/washing
4. Anointing oneself with oil
5. Doing a recreational activity

Total abstention from food and drink usually begins half-an-hour before sundown (called "tosefet Yom Kippur," the "addition" of fasting part of the day before is required by Jewish law), and ends after nightfall the following day. Although the fast is required of all healthy adults, fasting may be forbidden in certain cases in which the observer would be harmed.

Yom Kippur is observed in different ways in different Jewish communities. For example, Sephardic Jews (Jews of Spanish, Portuguese and North African descent) refer to this holiday as "the White Fast." Consequently, many Jews have the custom of wearing only white clothing on this day, displaying desire to have their sins forgiven (in the Torah, the forgiving of sins is symbolized by a change of color from red to white).

Eve of Yom Kippur

See also: Erev Yom Kippur and Kol Nidre

Jewish law requires one to eat a large and festive meal before Yom Kippur starts after the mincha prayer. Virtually all Jewish holidays involve a ritual feast; in the case of Yom Kippur, since one cannot eat a festive meal on the day itself one therefore eats the festive meal on the afternoon prior to the fast. Traditional foods consumed during that meal include kreplach and rice. Many others also have a custom to eat another meal before that, consuming fish. Also, many Orthodox men immerse themselves in a mikvah.

Before sunset on the eve of Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"), the congregation gathers in the synagogue. The Ark is opened and two people take from it two Torah scrolls. Then they take their places, one on each side of the cantor, and the three recite:

In the tribunal of Heaven and the tribunal of earth, by the permission of God — praised be He — and by the permission of this holy congregation, we hold it lawful to pray with transgressors."

The cantor then chants the Kol Nidre prayer (Hebrew: כל נדרי) in Aramaic, not Hebrew. Its name is taken from the opening words, meaning "All vows":

All personal vows we are likely to make, all personal oaths and pledges we are likely to take between this Yom Kippur and the next Yom Kippur, we publicly renounce. Let them all be relinquished and abandoned, null and void, neither firm nor established. Let our personal vows, pledges and oaths be considered neither vows nor pledges nor oaths.

The leader and the congregation then say together three times "May all the people of Israel be forgiven, including all the strangers who live in their midst, for all the people are in fault." The Torah scrolls are then replaced, and the customary evening service begins.

Prayer services

Men (and some Reform and Conservative women) don a tallit (four-cornered prayer garment) for evening prayers, the only evening service of the year in which this is done Many married men also wear a kittel, or white shroud-like garment, which symbolizes inner purity. Prayer services begin with the prayer known as "Kol Nidre," which must be recited before sunset, and follows with the evening prayers (ma'ariv or arvith), which include an extended Selichot service.

The morning prayer service is preceded by litanies and petitions of forgiveness called selichot; on Yom Kippur, many selichot are woven into the liturgy. The morning prayers are followed by an added prayer (musaf) as on all other holidays. It is followed by mincha (the afternoon prayer) which includes a reading (Haftarah) of the Book of Jonah. This is due to its story of God's willingness to forgive those who repent. The service concludes with the ne'ilah prayer, a prayer specifically for Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur comes to an end with a recitation of Shema Yisrael and the blowing of the shofar, which marks the conclusion of the fast.

The Avodah: Remembering the Temple service

A recitation of the sacrificial service of the Temple in Jerusalem traditionally features prominently in both the liturgy and the religious thought of the holiday. Specifically, the Avodah ("service") in the musaf prayer recounts the sacrificial ceremonies in great detail.

This traditional prominence is rooted in the Babylonian Talmud's description of how to attain atonement following the destruction of the Temple. According to Talmud tractate Yoma, in the absence of a Temple Jews are obligated to study the High Priest's ritual on Yom Kippur and this study helps achieve atonement for those who are unable to benefit from its actual performance. In Orthodox Judaism, accordingly, studying the Temple ritual on Yom Kippur represents a positive rabbinically-ordained obligation which Jews seeking atonement are required to fulfill.

In Orthodox and most Conservative synagogues, a detailed description of the Temple ritual is recited on the day. In most Orthodox and some Conservative synagogues, and the entire congregation prostrates themselves at each point in the recitation where the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) would pronounce the Tetragrammaton (God's holiest name, according to Judaism.)

The main section of the Avodah is a threefold recitation of the High Priest's actions regarding expiation in the Holy of Holies. Performing the sacrificial acts and reciting Leviticus 16:30, "for on this day atonement shall be made for you, to atone for you for all your sins, before God..." (he would recite the Tetragrammaton at this point, to which the people would prostrate to the ground) and after extending the Name, he would finish the verse "...you shall be purified." He would first ask for forgiveness for himself and his family ("Your pious man"), then for the priestly caste ("Your holy people"), and finally for all of Israel ("Your upright children"). (These three times, plus in some congregations the Alenu prayer during the Musaf Amidah on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, are the only times in Jewish services when Jews engage in complete full-body prostration, with the exception of some Yemenite Jews and talmedhei haRambam who may prostrate themselves on other occasions during the year). A variety of liturgical poems are added, including a poem recounting the radiance of the countenance of the Kohen Gadol after exiting the Holy of Holies, traditionally believed to emit palpable light in a manner echoing the Bible's account of the countenance of Moses after descending from Mount Sinai, as well as prayers for the speedy rebuilding of the Temple and the restoration of sacrificial worship. There are a variety of other customs, such as hand gestures to mime the sprinkling of blood (one sprinkling upwards and seven downwards per set of eight).

Orthodox liturgies include prayers lamenting the inability to perform the Temple service and petitioning for its restoration, which Conservative synagogues generally omit. In some Conservative synagogues, only the Hazzan engages in full prostration. Some Conservative synagogues abridge the recitation of the Avodah service to varying degrees, and some omit it entirely. Reform and Reconstructionist services omit the entire service as inconsistent with modern sensibilities.

Observances among secular Jews

Yom Kippur is considered one of the holiest of Jewish holidays, and its observance is held even among the majority of secular Jews who may not strictly observe other holidays. Many secular Jews will fast and attend synagogue on Yom Kippur, where the number of worshippers attending is often double or triple the normal attendance. In Israel, public non-observance (such as eating or driving a motor vehicle) is taboo. As a result, some secular Israelis use the opportunity to ride bicycles, especially on the eve of Yom Kippur. Furthermore, there is no broadcast television, no public transportation, and the airports are closed.

Biblical origin

Traditionally, Yom Kippur is considered the date Moses received the second set of Ten Commandments. It occurred following the completion of the second 40 days of instructions from God. At this same time, the Israelites were granted atonement for the sin of the Golden Calf, hence its designation as the Day of Atonement. The rites for Yom Kippur are set forth in the sixteenth chapter of Leviticus (cf. Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 23:27-31, 25:9; Numbers 29:7-11). It is described as a solemn fast, on which no food or drink could be consumed, and on which all work is forbidden.

Service in the Temple in Jerusalem

While the Temple was standing in Jerusalem (from Biblical times through 70 C.E.), the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) performed a complex set of special services and sacrifices for Yom Kippur. These services were considered to be the most important parts of Yom Kippur, as through them the Kohen Gadol made atonement for all Jews in the world. During the service, the Kohen Gadol entered the Holy of Holies in the center of the Temple, the only time of the year that anyone went inside. Doing so required special purification and preparation, including five immersions in a mikvah (ritual bath), and four changes of clothing.

Prior to Yom Kippur, the Kohen Gadol was sequestered in the Parhedrin chamber in the Temple, where he reviewed the service with the Temple sages, and was sprinkled with spring water containing ashes of the Red Heifer as purification. The Talmud (Tractate Yoma) also reports that he practiced the incense offering ritual in the Avitnas chamber.

On the day of Yom Kippur, the Kohen Gadol had to follow a precise order of services, sacrifices, and purifications:

• Morning (Tamid) Offering The Kohen Gadol first performed the regular daily (Tamid) offering - usually performed by ordinary priests - in special golden garments, after immersing in a mikvah and washing his hands and feet.
• Garment Change 1 The Kohen Gadol immersed in a special mikvah in the Temple courtyard and changed into special linen garments, and washed his hands and feet twice, once after removing the golden garments and once before putting on the linen garments.
• Lottery of the goats At the Eastern (Nikanor) gate, the Kohen Gadol drew lots from a lottery box over two goats. One was selected "for the Lord," and one "for Azazzel." The Kohen Gadol tied a red band to the goat "for Azazzel."
• Bull as Personal Sin-Offering The Kohen Gadol leaned (performed Semikha) and made a confession over the goat on behalf of himself and his household, pronouncing the Tetragrammaton. The people prostrated themselves when they heard. He then slaughtered the bull as a chatat (sin-offering) and received its blood in a bowl.
• Incense Preparation The Kohen Gadol ascended the mizbeach (altar) and took a shovel full of embers with a special shovel. He was brought incense. He filled his hands and placed it in a vessel. (The Talmud considered this the most physically difficult part of the service, as the Kohen Gadol had to keep the shovelful of glowing coals balanced and prevent its contents from dropping, using his armpit or teeth, while filling his hands with the incense).
• Incense Offering Holding the shovel and the vessel, he entered the Kadosh Hakadashim, the Temple's Holy of Holies. In the days of the First Temple, he placed the shovel between the poles of the Ark of the Covenant. In the days of the Second Temple, he put the shovel where the Ark would have been. He waited until the chamber filled with smoke and left.
• Sprinkling of Blood in the Holy of Holies The Kohen Gadol took the bowl with the bull's blood and entered the Most Holy Place again. He sprinkled the bull's blood with his finger eight times, before the Ark in the days of the First Temple, where it would have been in the days of the Second. The Kohen Gadol then left the Holy of Holies, putting the bowl on a stand in front of the Parochet (curtain separating the Holy from the Holy of Holies).
• Goat for the Lord as Sin-Offering for Kohanim The Kohen Gadol went to the eastern end of the Israelite courtyard near the Nikanor Gate, laid his hands (semikha) on the goat "for the Lord," and pronounced confession on behalf of the Kohanim (priests). The people postrated themselves when he pronounced the Tetragrammaton. He then slaughtered the goat, and received its blood in another bowl.
• Sprinkling of blood in the Holy Standing in the Hekhal (Holy), on the other side of the Parochet from the Holy of Holies, the Kohen Gadol took the bull's blood from the stand and sprinkled it with his finger eight times in the direction of the Parochet. He then took the bowl with the goat's blood and sprinkled it eight times in the same manner, putting it back on the stand.
• Smearing of blood on the Golden (Incense) Altar The Kohen Gadol removed the goat's blood from the stand and mixed it with the bull's blood. Starting at the northeast corner, he then smeared the mixture of blood on each of the four corners of the Golden (Incense) altar in the Haichal. He then sprinkled the blood eight times on the altar.
• Goat for Azazzel The Kohen Gadol left the Haichal and walked to the east side of the Azaryah (Israelite courtyard). Near the Nikanor Gate, he leaned his hands (Semikha) on the goat "for Azazel" and confessed the sins of the entire people of Israel. The people prostrated themselves when he pronounced the Tetragrammaton. While he made a general confession, individuals in the crowd at the Temple would confess privately. The Kohen Gadol then sent the goat off "to the wilderness." In practice, to prevent its return to human habitation, the goat was led to a cliff outside Jerusalem and pushed off its edge.
• Preparation of sacrificial animals While the goat "for Azazzel" was being led to the cliff, the Kohen Gadol removed the insides of the bull, and intertwined the bodies of the bull and goat. Other people took the bodies to the Beit HaDeshen (place of the ashes). They were burned there after it was confirmed that the goat "for Azazzel" had reached the wilderness.
• Reading the Torah After it was confirmed that the goat "for Azazzel" had been pushed off the cliff, the Kohen Gadol passed through the Nikanor Gate into the Ezrat Nashim (Women's Courtyard) and read sections of the Torah describing Yom Kippur and its sacrifices.
• Garment change 2 The Kohen Gadol removed his linen garments, immersed in the mikvah in the Temple courtyard, and changed into a second set of special golden garments. He washed his hands and feet both before removing the linen garments and after putting on the golden ones.
• Offering of Rams The Kohen Gadol offered two rams as an olah offering, slaughtering them on the north side of the mizbeach (outer altar), receiving their blood in a bowl, carrying the bowl to the outer altar, and dashing the blood on the northeast and southwest corners of the Outer Altar. He dismembered the rams and burned the parts entirely on the outer altar. He then offered the accompanying mincha (grain) offerings and nesachim (wine-libations).
• Musaf Offering The Kohen Gadol then offered the Musaf offering.
• Burning of Innards The Kohen Gadol placed the insides of the bull and goat on the outer altar and burned them entirely.
• *Garment change 3 The Kohen Gadol removed his golden garments, immersed in the mikvah, and changed to a new set of linen garments, again washing his hands and feet twice.
• Removal of Incense from the Holy of Holies The Kohen Gadol returned to the Holy of Holies and removed the bowl of incense and the shovel.
• Garment Change 4 The Kohen Gadol removed his linen garments, immersed in the mikvah, and changed into a third set of golden garments, again washing his hands and feet twice.
• Evening (Tamid) Offering The Kohen Gadol completed the afternoon portion of the regular (tamid) daily offering in the special golden garments. He washed his hands and feet a tenth time.

The Kohen Gadol wore five sets of garments (three golden and two white linen), immersed in the mikvah five times, and washed his hands and feet ten times. Sacrifices included two (daily) lambs, one bull, two goats, and two rams, with accompanying mincha (meal) offerings, wine libations, and three incense offerings (the regular two daily and an additional one for Yom Kippur). The Kohen Gadol entered the Holy of Holies three times. The Tetragrammaton was pronounced three times, once for each confession.

Yom Kippur and other religions

Christians and Yom Kippur

Main article: Day of Atonement (Christian holiday)

While many Christian theologians recognize a relationship between Yom Kippur and the Judgment Day, most Christians do not observe this Yom Kippur as they do not consider its observance part of the New Covenant. Yom Kippur is considered to be the pre-text of what's to come, a foreshadowing of the end of times where Christ will judge mankind and forgive or condemn accordingly.

Orthodox Christians observe the Fast Day of Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14, a Julian date which falls around the Hebrew date of Yom Kippur. Rev. Patrick Reardon said that everyone recognizes that as Yom Kippur.[1]

Amish Christians observe a Fast Day on September 11, a Gregorian date which falls around the Hebrew date of Yom Kippur.[2]

Muslim connection

According to Sunni tradition, Muhammad observed the Ashura fast in Mecca, as did the local population where it was a common practice from pre-Muslim times. When Muhammad led his followers to Medina, he found the Jews of that area fasting on the day of Ashura - or Yom Kippur. At this juncture, the fast of that day became mandatory for the Muslims. However, numerous Sunni traditions in Sahih Muslim and Sahih Bukhari confirm that fasting on Ashura was abandoned by Muhammad when the fasting of Ramadan was mandated. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, in his commentary on Bukhari's collection, says that the obligatoriness of the fast was superseded by fasting in Ramadan, a year after his migration to Medina. Today, Sunnis regard fasting on the 10th of Muharram as recommended, though not obligatory. Conversely, Shias regard fasting on that day as undesirable though not strictly forbidden.

The Ashura is commemorated for the following occasions which Muslims believe happened on the 10th Day of Muharram:

• The deliverance of Noah from the flood
• Abraham was saved from Nimrod's fire
• Jacob's blindness was healed and he was brought to Joseph on this day
• Job was healed from his illness
• Moses was saved from the impeding Pharaoh's army
• Jesus was brought up to heaven after attempts by the Romans to capture and crucify him failed.

In the Shia tradition it is also the anniversary of the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali.

See also

• High Holidays
• Rosh Hashana
• Yom Kippur War

References

• Talmud Bavli, The Schottenstein Edition of the Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Yoma, Volume I. Mesorah Publications Ltd. ISBN 0-89906-719-0
• Talmud Bavli, The Schottenstein Edition of the Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Yoma, Volume II. Mesorah Publications Ltd. ISBN 1-57819-001-0

External links

• Yom Kippur guide at Chabad.org
• Yom Kippur Info at MavenSearch
• Yom Kippur Prayers for Sephardic Jews