Beth Israel Community Art Project
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur is the day on which we are instructed to divorce ourselves as completely as humanly possible from the mundane world in which we live, in order to devote ourselves with all our hearts and minds to our relationship with the Divine. Fasting is the most widespread manifestation of this devotion. It is traditional to dress in white on this day, symbolizing personal purity. Yom Kippur is also referred to as the Day of Atonement and is the most solemn day in the Jewish Calendar.
History
The liturgy of Yom Kippur is completely centered in the synagogue. It is traditional to wear a tallit, or prayer shawl, at all times in the synagogue on Yom Kippur; this is the only time during the year when the tallit is worn in the evening. There are more and longer services on this day than any other in the Jewish calendar.
Yom Kippur is ushered in while it is still light out with a powerful and ancient prayer called Kol Nidrei (All Vows), in which the congregation asks that all vows made under duress during the coming year may be considered null and void before God. In addition to the three daily services of Maariv (evening service), Shachrit (morning services), and Mincha (afternoon service), the Yom Kippur liturgy adds a special Musaf (additional) service. On Yom Kippur, Yizkor, the memorial service, is recited, as is the Avodah, a symbolic reenactment of the ancient priestly ritual for Yom Kippur.
During the course of the holiday, a major component of the liturgy is the repeated communal confession of sins, the Viddui. The day closes with a unique and emotionally powerful service called Neilah, during which the liturgy imagines the gates of heaven closing at the end of the High Holiday period. Neilah, during which it is traditional to stand since the ark is opened, ends with a long blast of the shofar or ram’s horn, understood by many as signifying God’s redemptive act in answer to true repentance.
Mural designed by: Nassa Selwyn
Customs
Fasting from food and drink, Tashlich, Yizkor, wearing of white, refraining from wearing leather, breaking of the fast meal, repentance and forgiveness, blowing of the shofar.
Popular Yom Kippur Prayers
Kol Nidre
Kol Nidre, (Aramaic meaning: “All Vows”), a prayer sung in Jewish synagogues at the beginning of the service on the eve of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). The prayer begins with an expression of repentance for all unfulfilled vows, oaths, and promises made to God during the year.
Avenu Malkeinu
Avinu Malkeinu is a central prayer of the ten days of repentance which begin on Rosh Hashanah and conclude on Yom Kippur. Both the words and the melody evoke deep emotion as the congregation connects with God as a parent and monarch. The prayer has become so beloved that former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres asked Barbra Streisand to sing it at his 90th birthday celebration.