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:

Tisha b'Av - the Ninth of Av

© Petra van der Zande              

Excerpt from the book “Remember Observe Rejoice” 

The 9th day of Av usually falls in the middle of the summer holiday, in August.

On this solemn day, the Jewish people commemorate the destructions of their Temples by fasting 24 hours and praying. In Israel, most restaurants and places of entertainment are closed on this day.

Throughout the ages, Tisha b’Av has been a black day in Jewish history.

The Mishnah mentions specific events which took place:

•         On this day, the twelve spies returned to Moses; ten of them with bad news about the Promised Land.
•         In 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon’s Temple and sent the Judeans into Babylonian Exile.
•        In 70 AD, the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans, and the people in Judea scattered. It heralded the beginning of the Jewish exile from Eretz Israel.
•        135 AD, Bar Kochba’s revolt against the Romans was crushed and Betar destroyed.

In later years, more Tisha b’Av disasters were added to the list of commemorations. On this day:

•        All Jews were expelled from England in 1290
•        The Jews from Spain were expelled in 1492.
•     The same fate awaited the Jews from Vienna, whose turn came in 1670.
•        World War I officially began on the 9th of Av in 1914, when Germany declared war on Russia.

In the period between the 17th of Tammuz (July) till the 9th of Av, (August), religious Jews don’t eat meat, drink no wine (except for Shabbat), do not wear new clothes, and do not schedule happy events, such as weddings and house dedications. The 25 hour fast begins at nightfall on the 9th of Av.

In the synagogue, the Ark housing the Torah scrolls is draped in black and the lights are dimmed.  Wearing only socks or slippers, no (leather) shoes, people sit on the floor or on low stools. Like true mourners, they don’t greet each other with “Shalom”. 

Torah study is forbidden, for this is considered to be a joyful activity. During this fast day, the book of Lamentations, Job and parts of Jeremiah are read in the synagogue.

Special mourning prayers, kinot (written during the Middle Ages) are also recited.

Orthodox Jews believe that when Messiah comes, Tisha b’Av will be a day of celebration instead of mourning.

"Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'The fast of the fourth month, The fast of the fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace." Zechariah 8:19 (NKJV)

A religious Jew will never throw away his old prayer book, or discard a Torah Scroll. These are kept in a special place (Genizah*) and are usually buried on Tisha b’Av.

Fragments like these, considered too holy to be discarded as trash, are stored in the genizah.