The Days of Awe Part 4

What are some of the rituals of Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur is the most set apart day in Judaism, the Shabbat of Shabbats. The Bible says, “You will afflict your soul.” The rabbis interpreted this as fasting, which included abstaining from both food and drink. In the morning on Yom Kippur there’s a tradition with a live chicken. If you go to Jerusalem on this day you’ll see people with live chickens everywhere. Before prayer people twist the chickens over their heads three times to move their troubles to the chicken. Today in the United States many people use money instead of a chicken and donate the money to charity afterwards. A meal before sundown on Yom Kippur is obligatory, to prepare for the fast.

What is special about the Yom Kippur prayer Kol Nidre?
It’s the most famous prayer in Judaism. Before a Jew goes to the synagogue to say Kol Nidre (“all vows”), they put on white clothes to symbolize purity. The prayer asks to annul their personal vows to God in the last year, and there’s a lot of debate about it and how it became central to this set apart day. The prayer is the high point of the ritual season, and the cantor sings it three times. It became popular among the Marrano Jews of Spain, who converted during the Inquisition, but continued to practice Judaism secretly. It could be about annulling one’s vows to another religion. Many Jews were forced to convert to Christianity or die.

What happens when the Sabbath of Sabbaths actually falls on a Saturday?
On Yom Kippur all the laws of the Sabbath apply. But if either Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur fall on the Sabbath, the shofar is not sounded, because to carry it to the synagogue violates the Sabbath.

Are there other fasting holidays in Judaism?
Yom Kippur is one of several fasting holidays. There are other, less observed holidays, which commemorate the destructions of the first and second temples or destruction of the walls of Jerusalem. On fasting holidays such as Yom Kippur, the Jews do not eat, they do not drink, they don’t bathe, they don’t have sex, and they don’t use perfume. Boys 13 and older and girls 12 and older will fast. But someone who’s ill can eat, in the same way the rules permit Jews to violate the Sabbath to save a life. There was a mid-19th-century rabbi whose town was in the midst of a plague and to fast would have made them more susceptible. So the rabbi said people could eat on Yom Kippur. At the synagogue he made a blessing on a plate of food and ate first, so people could see it was really okay.

Why the Yom Kippur edict against leather shoes?
You see people in the synagogue all dressed up with sneakers. That’s because leather shoes are too comfortable, and this is a day about self-mortification. What gets you into trouble all year? Your ego! So, all these activities are a way of controlling your ego.

Today, consider how often do you afflict your soul. Do you ever fast? Do you ever sacrifice anything to draw closer to Elohim? If not, ask yourself why not?