Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement

 “The LORD said to Moses, “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. Do not work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God.”

Leviticus 23:26-28 NIV.

G'mar chatima tova is the traditional Hebrew greeting said before (and on) Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year and the culmination of the High Holiday season. It translates as, “a good final sealing,” in the Book of Life, the Jews believe they are inscribed on Rosh Hashanah and sealed on Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur falls on the 10^th of Tishrei, usually in September or the beginning of October. 

In the afternoon before the start of Yom Kippur, shops close early and public transportation also ends earlier than on a Friday afternoon. Airports and harbors are closed until Wednesday evening. 

Soon, the quiet streets are taken over by children on bikes and people walking to the synagogues. 

As a symbol of purity many Jews wear white clothing and either walk on plastic shoes or house slippers, as long as they are not from leather. They spend most of Yom Kippur in synagogue, where prayer services are followed by litanies and petitions of forgiveness.

Even non-religious Jews try to keep the 25 hour fast. During this holiest day of the Jewish Year, synagogue attendance usually triples. 

When the sun is setting, many flock to the synagogue for the Ne’ilah prayer, after which the “Shma Israel” is recited and the Shofar blown. This symbolizes the closure of God’s books, in which the names are written for those who shall live or die the next year.

When Yom Kippur ends, directly after a festive meal, many religious Jews begin to build their Succa.

Kapparot ritual 

In ancient times it was customary to herald the end of Yom Kippur by blowing the Shofar at the Western Wall. This custom was re-installed when in 1967 Jerusalem was re-unified.

Amongst the ultra-orthodox (Haredim) the custom of “Kapparot” continues till this day. A live fowl is swung around the read while texts relating to redemption are recited. The fowl is then given to the poor. Many rabbis reject this superstitious custom. (A circle is like a magic ring to ward off evil spirits.)

“Tzedekah” – charity, is a way of Jewish life, and an integral part of Yom Kippur. Especially around the holiday season people donate money to many charitable organizations.

You can find more information on this most holy day in the book "Remember, Observe, Rejoice" by Petra van der Zande. 

You can order the book here:

Rosh haShana - the Jewish New Year

"In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest unto you, a memorial proclaimed with blasts of horns [shofar], a holy convocation… and you shall bring an offering made by fire unto the Lord.” Leviticus 23:24, 25 NIV

The Hebrew month of Elul (August/September) is the month of the “High Holy Days”. 

The period between Rosh haShana (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is also called “the ten days of awe”, because of the need for introspection and repentance.

Rosh haShana (literally meaning “head of the year”) heralds the Hebrew month of Tishrei (September/October) (Tishrei is Aramaic for “to begin”). 

It is celebrated for two days and is seen as a Day of Judgment. On the first day, the tashlich (“you will cast”) ritual takes place in which “sins” are symbolically cast into open water. 

People also throw bread and pebbles. The days of repentance begin with Rosh haShana and climax at Yom Kippur. Religious Jews believe that even though judgment is pronounced on Rosh haShana, during the following ten days they can mend their ways and alter judgment in their favor.

Rosh haShana is a day of rest, like the Shabbat. The sound of the Shofar (ram’s horn) is intended to awaken the people from their “slumber” and alert them to the coming judgment. 

In Israel people greet each other with "Shana Tovah" (Good Year) or "Shana Tova uMetukah" (good and sweet New Year). Often they add "Gmar Chatima Tova" (May you be inscribed in the book of life).

Apple and honey, symbolizing the sweet New Year is always part of the holiday food. Other symbolic food is a fish head (“head” of the new year) and a round Challah, to symbolize the year cycle).

In ancient times Rosh haShana was the beginning of the economic year, with emphasis on the agricultural seasons and the pilgrim’s festivals (Pesach, Shavuot and Succot). It was only celebrated for one day, instead of the modern two-day holiday. 

Rosh haShana is seen as the anniversary of God’s Creation. On this day mankind passes before the Creator, like sheep before the shepherd. Three books are opened – the Book of Life, which seals the righteous, who will live. The wicked are “blotted out of the book of the living” (Psalm 69:29) while those “in between” have till Yom Kippur to repent and become righteous.

The Torah doesn’t call it Rosh haShana, but it is known by different descriptions.

Leviticus 23:24 mentioned the “day of blowing horns (shofarim)”.

Ezekiel 40:1 calls it “the beginning of the year”; while in rabbinic literature they call it “day of judgment” and “day of remembrance”.

Judaism’s many “New Years”

• 1^st of Nissan (March/April) - “Biblical New Year” after the Exodus from Egypt. Determined the length of a king’s reign. Start of the ecclesiastical Calender.
• 1^st of Elul (August/September) – Beginning of the year to tithe animals for the Temple.
• 1^st of Shevat (January/February) – this later changed to the 15^th (Tu beShevat) and was called the New Year of trees. Calculations were made for the tithes of the fruit harvest.
• 1^st of Tishrei (September/October) – civil Hebrew Calender, legal contracts.
• 1^st January – New Year on the Gregorian Calender.

Shofar - Ram’s horn

In Biblical times the Shofar was sounded heralding the beginning of a new month, as a warning sign of danger and to proclaim the inauguration of a new king.

The shofar has three distinct sounds:

• Shevarim - resembles sobbing
• Teruah – nine staccato notes resembling wailing
• Tekiah – unbroken long sound

The Shofar is symbolic of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, in which the ram became the substitute sacrifice. The curved horn is symbolic for man’s bowing in submission before God.

Religious practices:

• Many orthodox men were a Kittel (Yiddish) which is a white robe, also traditionally worn by a bridegroom, symbolizing purity. Often it is also used as a burial shroud. Isaiah 1:18 “our sins shall be made as white as snow”. It reminds them of the white linen robe the High Priest wore during Temple ceremonies.
• People visit the graves of loved-ones and pray to their souls for a good year.
• This is an extra busy time for organizations to ask for donations, as charity is even more important during this period.

Excerpt from the book: “Remember, Observe, Rejoice” © Petra van der Zande , 2018

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