YOM KIPPUR

Sunday September 27, Kol Nidrei -
6:15 PM (Chelsea Pearl)
Monday September 28, Morning Service -
10:00 AM (Chelsea Pearl)
Monday September 28, Yizkor Memorial Service -
12:15 PM (Chelsea Pearl)
Monday September 28, Afternoon Service -
5:15 PM (Chelsea Pearl)
Monday September 28, Neilah Service -
6:00 PM (Chelsea Pearl)
Monday September 28, Break The Fast Buffet -
7:05 PM (W Hotel Union Sq)

> ABOUT YOM KIPPUR
> YOM KIPPUR SERVICES AT-A-GLANCE
> YOM KIPPUR TRADITIONS


ABOUT YOM KIPPUR -
Release of Vows

On Yom Kippur we enter the Holy of Holies and make contact with the Divine Power which dwells within us.

The challenge for each person is to find a way to harness this immense power and to use it in a positive way during the weeks and months ahead. Jewish teaching is the guide, showing how the inner Divine power can be expressed in every aspect of life.
Hence Yom Kippur is a good time for making resolutions about strengthening one's relationship with Jewish teaching and Jewish law.

It is a joyous time of spiritual freedom with fresh opportunities to make a permanent step forward in life. Although we fast, and the mood of the day is serious, Yom Kippur is a time of inner joy.
Yom Kippur commences, starting very softly with Kol Nidrei. It is sung three times, louder and louder, as if entering a spiritual Palace and coming closer to the Eternal King.

The words of the Kol Nidrei prayer refer to canceling vows. In medieval Spain, Jews were forced at sword-point to swear that they will abandon Judaism. It is said that on Yom Kippur they would gather together and formally cancel any such vows, past or future. They could then pray on the Sacred Day with a clear conscience.

In most parts of the world today, no-one forces Jews to deny Judaism. But our spiritual weakness often leads us to feel that we are restricted, tied down or trapped in various ways and therefore prevented from full self-expression as Jews. These limitations are a form of a 'vow', a pledge to the secular. On Yom Kippur, in response to our sincerity, G-d dissolves away all these restrictions. Whatever our apparent normal commitments and pledges to material and secular values, on Yom Kippur we are given freedom and can openly express total love and dedication to G-d.
When Yom Kippur draws to a close, it is then up to each Jewish man, woman, and child to individually carry on the spirit and further strengthen their relationship with G-d.

INNER POWER AND JOY
In the Reader's Repetition of the Additional Service, known as Musaf, during Yom Kippur, there is a description of a special procedure that occurred in the ancient Temple which once stood in Jerusalem over 1900 years ago.

The High Priest would pronounce the Divine Name which is otherwise never heard. Hearing this, the people would prostrate themselves. He would also enter the Holy of Holies. Yom Kippur is the only day when anyone could enter this most sacred place. Only the High Priest would go there, as the representative of the entire Jewish people.

The Temple does not yet stand again in Jerusalem, but there is a Temple in the heart of every Jew. Each one of us, man or woman, is the High Priest in our own Temple within.

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YOM KIPPUR SERVICES AT-A-GLANCE

Yom Kippur Eve

Kol Nidrei

In Brief: The Kol Nidrei service consists of the opening of the Ark and taking out the Torah scrolls, reciting the Kol Nidrei and returning the Torah scrolls to the Ark.

Kol Nidrei, the prayer which ushers in the holy day of Yom Kippur, is perhaps the most famous one in our liturgy. Ironically, it is not really a prayer at all, but rather a statement. A statement that deals with promises, vows and other sorts of verbal commitments commonly made in the course of the year. The Torah places strict demands on keeping ones word, and not fulfilling a vow is considered a serious misdeed.

Kol Nidrei, which means "all vows", nullifies the binding nature of such promises in advance. One declares all future vows and promises invalid, by declaring that all vows are: "absolved, remitted, cancelled, declared null and void, not in force of in effect."

On Yom Kippur when the essence of the soul is fully revealed, we express our real attitude towards the imperfections which might slip into our behavior, in the coming year. They are thus denied and declared insignificant.

Evening Service

In Brief: The evening service consists of the Half-Kaddish, the Shema, the Amidah and the concluding prayers.

Yom Kippur Day

Morning Service

In brief: The morning service consists of the following: the morning prayers, the Shema, the Amidah, the reading of the Torah, the Yizkor service, the Musaf service, the priestly blessing.

Torah Reading

The reading of the Torah is about the solemn service in the Holy Temple on the Day of Atonement, conducted by the High Priest himself. This was the only day of the year on which the High Priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies to offer incense and pray on behalf of the Jewish people.

Yizkor Service

The Yizkor service is recited by those who have lost either one or both of their parents. Others leave the synagogue until the completion of the Yizkor service; the reason for this is to advocate long life for the living parents.

The Yizkor is more than a service of remembrance, but rather it is a time for the relatives of the departed to connect with the souls of their loved ones on a deeper level; tradition has it that during the Yizkor service, the souls of the departed descend from heaven and are joined with those who are close to them.

Musaf Service

In Brief: The Musaf service consits of the Musaf Amidah, the cantor's repetition of the Amidah, the avodah - a recounting of the Yom Kippur service in the Holy Temple and the priestly blessing.

Priestly Blessing

The priests, or kohanim, direct descendants of Aaron, the High Priest, are commanded to bless the Jewish people with a three-fold blessing. It is customary to perform this duty during the Musaf service on festival days. In preparation for the blessing, the priests remove their shoes and the Levites ritually wash their hands, they then gather at the front or by the eastern wall of the synagogue.
During the blessing, one must not gaze at the Priests directly as the Divine Presence rests upon them. It is customary for men to cover their eyes with their prayer shawls, and for women to gaze into their prayer books.

After the blessing, it is customary to thank the Priests with the words, Yishar Koach.

Afternoon

In brief: The afternoon service consists of the Torah reading, the amidah prayer, the cantor's repetition of the Amidah, the recital of Avinu Malkenu (Our Father, Our King).

Torah Reading

The Torah reading speaks of the purity of Jewish life. The Torah warns us not to follow in the immoral ways of Egyptians and native Canaanites, "that the land spew you not out also, when you defile it, as it spewed out the nations that were before you."

The Haftorah

We read the entire Book of Jonah. It contains a timely message on the importance of repentance and prayer. If sinfulness can cause the land to vomit its inhabitants, repentance can cause the fish to deposit Jonah back and dry land and return him to life. One should never despair, prayer and repentance lead from darkness to light, from the shadow of death to a new life.

Yom Kippur Night

Neilah, the Concluding Service.

In brief: The concluding service consists of the Opening prayers, the Amidah prayer, the cantor's repetition of the Amidah, Avinu Malkneu (Our Father, Our King), Declaration of our faith and the sounding of the Shofar and the closing prayers.

Neilah means "closing the gate". As the awesome day of Yom Kippur comes to a close, and our future is being sealed, we turn to G-d to accept our sincere repentance and new resolutions, and that He seal us in the Book of Life, granting us a new year replete with goodness and happiness. The Ark remains open for the entire Neilah service, signifying that the Gates of Heaven are wide open to our prayers and entreaties.

Closing Prayers

The apex of the service, the emotional peak, is when we pronounce the verses proclaiming G-d as our G-d, all together. It is written that when we recite the first of the three verses, the Shema, every Jew should have have the intention of giving up their soul for the sanctification of G-d's name, this intention will be considered as if we had indeed withstood the test to sanctify the Divine Name.

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YOM KIPPUR TRADITIONS

Eat!

On the afternoon before Yom Kippur eve, this year on Sunday, September 27th, eat a festive meal in preparation for the fast.

Light Candles

Girls and their mothers light candles on Sunday, September 27th.

Each girl lights one candle. Light your candle, (carefully!), then sway your hands three times around the candles and recite the following blessings:

1) Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to light the candle of Yom Kippur.

Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-olam Asher Kideshanu Bemitzvotav Vetzivanu Lehadlik Ner Shel Yom Hakippurim.

2) Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.

Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-olam She-heche-ya-nu Ve-ki-yi-ma-nu Ve-higi-a-nu Liz-man Ha-zeh.

Change your Shoes

On Yom Kippur we do not wear leather shoes, so put on your canvas or plastic sneakers or sandals!

Fasting

All girls over 12 years old and boys over 13 old are required to fast.

Pray!

Yom Kippur means the Day of Atonement, because it is the day when we atone for all our sins.

Yom Kippur is a day of prayer. Pray and meditate. Think about the past year, think of all the good things you did and of the not so good things, feel bad about them? OK, now decide that you will never do those things again. And ask G-d to forgive you for anything inappropriate you may have done.

Shofar

At the end of the day, the whole congregation recites the Shema and a few other verses out loud together, then the shofar is sounded for one long blast. After that we say: "Next Year in Jerusalem."

We then recite the evening services and the fast is over.


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