Community Corner
Yom Kippur, Marking Day of Reflection, Atonement, Begins at Sunset
The High Holy Day ends 10 days of reflection and repentance.
Written by Len Abram
At sundown, Jews across the world and at the Beth El Temple Center on Concord Avenue will begin observing the holy day of Yom Kippur.
According to tradition, the Day of Atonement marks the end of 10 days of reflection and repentance, imagined in the liturgy as a Day of Judgment for each person before the Supreme Judge, whose final decisions are written in a heavenly book.The Hebrew greeting, "Gemar chatimah tovah," translated as "May you be inscribed for good in the Book of Life," captures the metaphor and meaning of the day.
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Except for Sandy Koufax, who would not pitch the first game of the 1965 World Series because it fell on the holiday, fasting is Yom Kipper's most associated act of devotion.
Abstaining from food and drink (and baseball) fulfills the Biblical commandments of self-denial and solemnity. Physical desires are denied to concentrate on spiritual needs through prayer and self-improvement. At Yom Kippur, Jews often seek out those whom they have wronged to ask forgiveness.
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Although the central prayers and confessionals are collective, emphasizing "we," not "I," Yom Kippur means something special to each person following the ancient tradition going back six millennia.
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