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Yom Kippur

Oct 07, 2011
Lubavitehr Rebbe during the ceremony of Blessing the Moon, right after Yom Kippur prayers.
Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur is an important Jewish holiday. Even those Jews who do not observe other Jewish customs will follow some of the Yom Kippur traditions. Just like on Rosh Hashanah, nobody works and there are services at the synagogue all day. The entire day is also spent fasting (no eating).

The Low Down

Yom Kippur means "Day of Atonement." This is your last chance to change God's judgment, make amends, forgive and forget. There are 10 days to make good with God, starting on Rosh Hashanah and ending on Yom Kippur. However, this is only for those sins against God, not man. Any amends you have to make with people, have to be done before Yom Kippur starts.

Rules of Engagement

The holiday starts at sunset and ends at nightfall the following day. In 2011, Yom Kippur begins on October 7th. Only kids under the age of nine and women in childbirth (from the time labor begins 'til three days after) are allowed to eat. Of course, if not eating could seriously damage someone's health or create a life-threatening situation, then any of the restrictions can be broken.

Restrictions

  • Eat or drink (including water).
  • Wash.
  • Wear makeup or deodorant.
  • Wear leather shoes.
  • Have sex.

Traditions

Most of the day is spent in the synagogue praying, so it doesn't really matter if you smell funny. People usually wear white on this day and some people even wear a kittle - a white robe that some people are buried in.

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Comments

chibiwing

chibiwing wrote:

It sounds interesting, but not my way of doing it
commented: Fri Dec 07, 2012

Ghost.of.Wilderness
My mother does this, but she only last one day & one night.
commented: Fri Dec 07, 2012

ariel101

ariel101 wrote:

fasting is easy for me i did it last summer!
commented: Sun Sep 30, 2012

there are 7 more comments

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