T&D Staff Report
Yom Kippur, considered the holiest of the 10 High Holy Days, will be observed until after nightfall Saturday, Sept. 22.
The day, which began before sunset Friday, Sept. 21, comes with five prohibitions -- no eating or drinking, no wearing perfumes or lotions, no marital relations, no bathing and no wearing leather shoes. These restrictions are meant to free one from the cares of the mundane activities of daily life so that the mind and heart can be set toward the relationship with the creator of the universe. Also, no work can be performed on Yom Kippur, which is a complete Sabbath.
The High Holy Days began at sundown Wednesday, Sept. 12, with Rosh Hashanah and ends with Yom Kippur.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the most important of all Jewish holidays and are the only holidays that are purely religious, as they are not related to any historical or natural event.
While Rosh Hashanah is celebrated the first and second day of Tishri and is a time of family gathering, special meals and sweet-tasting foods, Yom Kippur -- or the Day of Atonement -- is the most solemn day of the Jewish year. It is observed on the 10th day Tishri and is a day of fasting, reflection and prayers.
In the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Days of Awe and the Fast of Gedaliah are observed. The Days of Awe, also known as the Ten Days of Repentance, offer another chance for spiritual renewal. The Fast of Gedaliah, which is held the third day of Tishri, commemorates the assassination of Gedaliah, the last governor of Judea following the destruction of the first temple. His death marked the end of Jewish rule and led to the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. It's one of four fast days relating to the destruction of the temple.
Jews worldwide are given these ten days to repent for their sins and ask God for forgiveness. It is believed that on Rosh Hashanah, the destiny of all mankind is recorded by God in the Book of Life, and on Yom Kippur, the Book is closed and sealed. Those who have repented for their sins are granted a good and happy New Year. Yom Kippur is, essentially, the last appeal Jews have to change God's judgement on them, to demonstrate repentance for only those wrongs between man and God and make amends.