The time for atonement draws nearer as the Jewish Holiday of Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Wednesday night.
Known as the Day of Atonement in English, Yom Kippur is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays.
Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews the world over traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services.
Yom Kippur is the tenth and final day of the Ten Days of Repentance, which begin with Rosh Hashanah. According to Jewish tradition, God inscribes each person's fate for the coming year into a "book" on Rosh Hashanah and waits until Yom Kippur to "seal" the verdict.
During the Ten Days of Repentance, a Jew tries to amend his behavior and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against God and against his fellow man. The evening and day of Yom Kippur are set aside for public and private petitions and confessions of guilt. At the end of Yom Kippur, one considers himself absolved by God.
The Yom Kippur prayer service includes several unique aspects. One is the actual number of prayer services. Unlike a regular day, which has three prayer services (Ma'ariv, the evening prayer; Shacharit, the morning prayer; and Mincha, the afternoon prayer), or a Shabbat or Yom Tov, which have four prayer services (Ma'ariv; Shacharit; Musaf, the additional prayer; and Mincha), Yom Kippur has five prayer services (Ma'ariv; Shacharit; Musaf; Mincha; and Ne'ilah, the closing prayer).
The prayer services also include a public confession of sins (Vidui) and a reenactment of the special Yom Kippur avodah (service) of the Kohen Gadol in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
Jewish people around the world will celebrate Yom Kippur 2008 starting at sundown on Wednesday October 8, lasting all day Thursday, October 9, 2008 until sundown.
For those interested in reading more about Yom Kippur in Jewish religious texts, one should refer to the passage of Leviticus 23: 26-32 in the bible. In addition, a whole tractate of the Babylonian Talmud, called the Yoma, is dedicated to Yom Kippur and in the Code of Jewish Law (Shulhan Aruch), the laws of Yom Kippur begin in Orach Chaim chapter 604.
Infolive.tv wishes everyone a happy new year, an easy fast and a “Gmar Hatima Tova”!
10/08/08
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