When the Temple was in Jerusalem, there were very special rituals for atonement. The high priest proclaimed God’s special name before the people who were assembled in the central courtyards. The high priest would enter the precincts of the Ark of the Covenant where God was said to dwell. He would prostrate himself and call out God’s name again and make expiation for the other priests and the people. The people would prostrate themselves in fear that he wouldn’t survive the encounter with God.

Another custom was the selection of one goat (the azazel). The high priest laid hands on the goat to transfer all sins to it. Then it was sent out into the desert. That is how we come to have the word "scapegoat."
Today, the focus has shifted to the synagogue where we spend the day in prayer and meditation. We are expected to afflict our bodies with fasting and other abstinences. It is as though our life is suspended for one day, as though we have died. We look upon the possibility of our death and what that means so we may better know how to embrace life.

There are five restrictions for Yom Kippur: no eating or drinking, no bathing, no perfuming the body, no wearing of leather shoes, no sexual relations. These are restricted because they are considered pleasurable.

It is customary to have a moderately festive meal on the night before the holiday begins, keeping in mind that the next day is a fast day. There is the candle blessing and the Shehecheyanu is said. In addition, a memorial candle is lit for deceased family members. Sometimes people dress in white. Children are blessed as on Shabbat and people wish each other tsom kal (easy fast).

One old custom is kaparot, where you would twirl a chicken around your head while praying that the chicken be killed instead of you. In addition, all your sins would be transferred to the chicken. The chicken would then be killed and given to the poor. It was frowned upon by many rabbis because of the elements of magic that the ritual contains. For those who still perform the ritual, some substitute money knotted in a handkerchief which is then given to the poor.

Kol nidrei (all vows) is sung at the very beginning of the evening service. It proclaims null and void those promises that we may make and fail to fulfill in the coming year. Sephardic Jews ask for release for any vows made in the past year. By this, we understand that our best intentions may go astray. It is a legal formula written in Aramaic. The Torahs are taken from the ark and held by members of the congregation while it is sung.

The service following is the usual one with the addition of the viddui (confessional) usually said before death and other penitential prayers. There is the ashamnu, an alphabetical acrostic listing general sins and the al cheit, a longer listing of more specific sins. These are in the first person plural because, even though we make atonement for our own sins, we are aware that we are part of a community. It is important to feel responsible for the community as a whole.

The morning service is similar to other festival services with the addition of appropriate poetry. The Torah reading is about the Temple service. The prophetic reading is from Isaiah about those who fast without kavannah (intention).

At the afternoon service, the Book of Jonah is read. The city of Nineveh had no special relationship with God yet it still repented. Also, the message that Jonah doesn’t understand until the end is that God prefers repentance to destruction. God’s compassion is a model for us. We, like Jonah, can’t hide from God.
Before the final service, there is Yizkor, a memorial service for the dead. Neilah, the final service, takes its imagery from the closing of heaven’s gates, of time running out. Since we implore God for mercy and compassion for the last time, in some synagogues, the whole service is said standing. At the end of the service, there is a final shofar blast as we return to life.

We have confronted our own mortality. Hopefully, the confrontation will guide us to lead fuller and more authentic lives. Yom Kippur is a journey we go on alone, surrounded by members of our community. Over and over, the liturgy stresses our frailties and our failings. All egotism is stripped away. Yom Kippur is the mirror that reflects who we really are.

When services are over, many synagogues have a break-the-fast meal. Or people go to friends’ homes for such a meal. It usually consists of light or bland foods.

Why do we celebrate the New Year before looking back at the past one? One interpretation is that the sweetness of the apples and honey calls to us to look back at the old year. We see the good possibilities of the New Year so that we can look within ourselves for growth and change.

© Marty Wertlieb

YOM KIPPUR QUOTES

Mark, the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a sacred occasion for you: you shall practice self-denial, and you shall bring an offering by fire to Adonai; you shall do no work throughout that day. For it is a Day of Atonement on which expiation is made on your behalf before Adonai your God…. It shall be a sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall practice self-denial; on the ninth day of the month at evening from evening to evening, you shall observe this your sabbath. - Leviticus 23:27-28, 32

I hereby forgive all who have hurt me, all who have done me wrong, whether deliberately or by accident, whether by word or by deed. May no one be punished on my account. As I forgive and pardon fully those who have done me wrong, may those whom I have harmed forgive and pardon me, whether I acted deliberately or by accident, whether by word or deed. I am now ready to fulfill the commandment of "to love my neighbor as myself." - Jules Harlow, editor: Machzor for Rosh ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur

Why, when we fasted, did You not see? When we starved our bodies, did You pay no heed?" Because on your fast day you see to your business and oppress all your laborers! Because you fast in strife and contention, and you strike with a wicked fist! Your fasting today is not such as to make your voice heard on high. Is such the fast I desire, a day for men to starve their bodies? Is it bowing the head like a bulrush and lying in sackcloth and ashes? Do you call that a fast, a day when Adonai is favorable? No, this is the fast I desire: To unlock the fetters of wickedness, and untie the cords of the yoke to let the oppressed go free; to break off every yoke. It is to share your bread with the hungry, and to take the wretched poor into your home; when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to ignore your own kin. - Isaiah 58:3-7

Rabbi Simha Bunam of Pzysha once asked his disciples, "how can we tell when a sin we have committed has been pardoned?" His disciples gave various answers but none of them pleased the rabbi. "We can tell," he said, "by the fact that we no longer commit that sin." - Martin Buber, Tales of the Hasidim: Later Masters