Religious Living  /  Observance

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur

10 Tishri

This article was written by Stephen Butterfass for Religious Living on the Web.

"And it shall be a statute for ever unto you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and shall do no manner of work, the home-born or the stranger that sojourns among you. For on this day atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you will be clean before the Eternal. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you and you shall afflict your souls."(Leviticus 16:29-31)

It would appear that the origins of Yom Kippur were common to many cultures throughout the ancient Near East-an annual ritual to purge the accumulation of communal sin from the holy places, the sacrificial shrines, and from the people. Sinfulness was a pollutant and was regarded as a demonic force that attacked even the sacred. Since the God of Israel would not dwell in a polluted sanctuary, there needed to be a ceremonial cleansing of the sacred space. Leviticus, Chapter 16, describes how the high priest was to bring a bull and two goats as a special offering. The bull was offered as atonement for the acts of the priest and his household, and one of the goats, chosen by lot, was sacrificed to purge the shrine of the defilement caused by the sins of the people. The high priest then laid his hands upon the head of the second goat and by confessing the transgressions of the people, transferred them to the goat. Carrying the iniquities of Israel, the goat was sent out into the wilderness, designated for "Azazel" which may have been some demonic power that was thought to dwell there.

Much later, Mishnah Yoma (that part of the Mishnah dealing with Yom Kippur) describes an elaborate and truly awesome ritual of fasting, sacrifices and public confession before thousands of assembled Israelites. On three separate occasions the high priest would enter the "Holy of Holies", the innermost chamber of the Temple where the presence of God was felt to be most prevalent, and each time, having survived these perilous trips into the sacred place, he would recite a formula of confession in the hearing of the assembled people. Invoking aloud, on this day only, the Name of God, now only known by the letters (and which are pronounced in prayer as Adonai), the high priest would confess his own sins and that of his household, next those of the priestly caste, and lastly those of the House of Israel. Each time the priest uttered the Name, the people would prostrate themselves and say "Baruch Shem K'vod Malchuto L'olam Va-ed" "Blessed be God's name, the glory of God's Kingdom is for ever and ever". Knowing that the priest had emerged unscathed and hearing aloud the divine name was an assurance to the assembled people that atonement had been made for them.

After the Temple was destroyed and with it the sacrificial cult, the rabbis decreed that Yom Kippur itself brought atonement but that it was necessary for a person to make peace with the one wronged to effect forgiveness for transgressions committed against fellow humans. The affliction of one's soul, self-denial, was defined as fasting from food and drink, not washing or anointing the body, not wearing leather shoes and abstaining from sexual intercourse, though Reform Judaism emphasizes only the abstention from food and drink. The great public evocation of God's Presence remained and became a full day of communal prayer and reconciliation.

Before the onset of this holy day it is a mitzvah to set aside money to be used as Tzedakah, to be given to some charity or person in need. This is an old custom known as Kaparah, and the original idea was that this money served as an atonement for sin. A better idea is that performing specific acts of righteousness is necessary for redeeming ourselves. Every year at this time Mazon, a Jewish organization devoted to fighting hunger sends out its appeals and envelopes, a worthy recipient of our tzedakah. Temple Israel for a number of years now, has been providing paper bags to worshippers on Rosh Hashanah with the idea that we fill them up with canned food goods and return them on Yom Kippur for distribution to food banks, an idea which has been very successful. It is also a mitzvah to seek reconciliation with those one might have offended before Yom Kippur arrives, asking "If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me".

We are told that eating and drinking well before the fasting is of special importance. Some families even bake special challah in the shape of angel's wings. The Erev Yom Kippur meal is of course eaten well before sundown, to conclude before the beginning of the holy day. A Kiddush, normally recited over wine at the beginning of festivals is not recited at this meal which must be completed before Yom Kippur arrives. However, Yom Kippur candles, including a memorial candle, are lit after the meal and before leaving for the synagogue, denoting the beginning of Yom Kippur and the fast. The following blessings are said:

Baruch a-ta Adonai, Elohei-nu me-lech ha-olam, a-sher ki-de-shanu be-mits-vo-tav ve-tsi-va-nu le-had-lik ner shel Yom Ha-ki-purim.

Blessed is the Eternal our God, Ruler of the Universe, by Whose mitzvot we are hallowed and Who commands us to kindle the lights of Yom Kippur.

Baruch a-ta Adonai, Elohei-nu me-lech ha-olam, she-he-che-ya-nu ve-ki-ye-ma-nu ve-hi-gi-a-nu la-ze-man ha-zeh.

Blessed is the Eternal our God, Ruler of the Universe, for giving us life, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach this season.

Yom Kippur is still a communal expression of remorse and reconciliation as well as a personal experience. The Day includes five distinct prayer services whose purpose is nothing less than the purification of the whole House of Israel. The confessions of misdeeds uses the plural "We", as the congregation assumes collective responsibility for cleansing the sins of it members. From the very onset of the evening service, after the chanting of Kol Nidre, we pray "And the whole congregation of the children of Israel shall be forgiven and the sojourner who lives among them, for all the people acted in error. Some 25 hours later at Neilah, the service of the closing of the gates, we implore God "open for us the gates of righteousness…even now when the gates are closing, let us enter your gates!

On Yom Kippur morning, the reading for the Haftarah is from Isaiah (58: 1-14). Lest we become smug or think ourselves virtuous for a day-long fast that will soon end for most of us with sumptuous delicacies, the words of the Prophet come to teach us that the rituals of atonement are empty without a total commitment to social justice. What is being demanded of us is no less than full participation in Tikun Olam, repairing the wrongs of the world no matter how uncomfortable it makes us, to truly afflict our souls:

"Why have we fasted and you don't see…afflict our souls and you don't notice? Because on your fast day you think only of your own business and oppress your workers…you don't fast on this day to be heard on high."

"Is this the fast I have chosen? A day for a person to afflict the soul, to bow the head like a reed and be covered in sackcloth and ashes-Do you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Eternal?"

"Is not this the fast I have chosen: To loosen the chains of evil, to undo the bonds of oppression, to free the oppressed, to break every yoke. Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the homeless poor into your home? When you see the naked, clothe him and from your own flesh never hide. Then shall your light burst out like the dawn…when you call, the Eternal will answer, when you cry, God will say 'Hineini', Here I am."

At the afternoon service, the Torah reading chosen by the Reform movement is Leviticus 19, "Parashah Kedoshim", which contains what is called the "holiness code" and which begins with God's demand "You shall be holy, for I the Eternal your God am holy" and then prescribes principals of justice, morality and economic decency culminating in the command to "Love your neighbor as yourself". I wish each and every one of us the courage and the strength in the coming year to wrestle with these difficult demands to act as if we truly had a divine spark within us.

"L'shanah tovah tichatemu" May we all be sealed in the Book of Life for a Good Year!

Shabbat
Chametz
Chanukah
Counting the Omer
Elul
Havdalah
Jonah
Kiddush for the Eve of Yom Tov
Kohelet
Kol Nidre
On Death and Mourning
Pesach
Proverbs
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Song of Songs
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The Scroll of Ruth
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Words of the Prophets
Yom Ha'Atzma'ut
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