JEWISH HOLY DAY BEGINS TONIGHT; YOM KIPPUR IS TIME OF SELF-EXAMINATION.Byline: Holly J. Andres Staff Writer Yom Kippur Yom Kippur [Heb.,=day of atonement], in Judaism, the most sacred holy day, falling on the 10th day of the Jewish month of Tishri (usually late September or early October). It is a day of fasting and prayer for forgiveness for sins committed during the year. , the holiest day of the Jewish calendar Jewish calendar n. The lunisolar calendar used to mark the events of the Jewish year, dating the creation of the world at 3761 b.c. See Table at calendar. Noun 1. , begins at sundown today. ``Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement Day of Atonement n. See Yom Kippur. [Translation of Hebrew yôm kippûr.] Day of Atonement Noun same as Yom Kippur Noun 1. , the day on which Jews culminate culminate, in astronomy, the maximum height in the sky reached by a celestial body on a given day. At the culminate the body is crossing the observer's celestial meridian and is said to be in upper transit. a 10-day process of self-examination and self-judgment and take the initial steps to change the character of their lives,'' said Rabbi Paul Kipnes, of Congregation Or Ami of Calabasas. ``On Yom Kippur, Jews are joining together to open ourselves up and pray for the courage and strength to lead better lives.'' During evening services today, the Kol Nidre Kol Nidre: see Yom Kippur. Kol Nidre Prayer sung in Jewish synagogues at the start of services on the eve of Yom Kippur. The prayer begins with an expression of repentance for all unfulfilled vows, oaths, and promises to God during the previous year. , or ``all vows,'' prayer and a communal confession known as the viddui are recited. Yom Kippur day services include a Torah reading Torah reading (Hebrew: קריאת התורה, K'riat HaTorah and a Yizkor, or memorial, service. The shofar is blown at the concluding service ending close to sundown Monday. Kipnes said there are many reasons why the shofar is blown on Yom Kippur. One is that it serves as a ``final wake-up call before the gates of repentance are closed.'' It also reminds Jews that a shofar was blown before and after Moses received the Ten Commandments Ten Commandments or Decalogue [Gr.,=ten words], in the Bible, the summary of divine law given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. They have a paramount place in the ethical system in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. . Jews over the age of 13, with some exceptions, are expected to go without food or drink for about 25 hours until just after sundown Monday. When he gave the Rosh Hashana sermon on Sept. 10, Kipnes explored the reasons why Jews fast on Yom Kippur. He challenged his congregation to think about the meaning of fasting for the following 10 days. ``If we can say no to our instinct to eat and drink, when our baser instincts threaten to take us down the path of temptation, we are experienced in saying no,'' he said. On Yom Kippur, Kipnes will speak about the prayer that Jews read on Rosh Hashana about God determining individual futures in the coming year. Kipnes said that even though all sorts of good and bad things could happen in the coming year, there is a response to how those occurrences affect our lives. ``Jews have three responses to dealing with these occurrences: righteous charitable giving, prayer and repentance, which means cleaning up the baggage that we carry around so that we can enjoy the goodness of life.'' |
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