The Nature of the Day
The tenth of Tishrei, Yom Kippur, is a very special and sacred day that is designated for a single purpose: to enable us to repent and return to G-d.
On this day, we fast and engage in extensive prayers. The text of the day’s prayer services emphasizes the obligation to repent and to return to a life of Torah and mitzvah observance.
On Yom Kippur, G-d seals the decrees that will be issued upon every single one of His creations. On this day, His verdicts are finalized for the coming year regarding who will live and who will die, who will be poor and who will be wealthy, who will enjoy success and who will experience failure. The sanctity of Yom Kippur is so great that, when it is coupled with our repentance, it can atone for our sins and “erase” them altogether.
On the Jewish calendar, the tenth of Tishrei, like any day, begins on the previous night. Therefore, Yom Kippur comes into effect, with all of its laws and prohibitions, at the moment the sun sets on the ninth of Tishrei, and it remains in effect until the emergence of three small stars on the night of the tenth of Tishrei.
Erev Yom Kippur – Preparing for the Holy Day
Erev Yom Kippur, the ninth of Tishrei, is a day of preparation for the sacred day of Yom Kippur. It is a day for acts of charity and for introspection and a general reckoning of our deeds over the past year. There is also a detailed set of special customs associated with Erev Yom Kippur.
- The following is an abbreviated list of the customs of Erev Yom Kippur. We will go on to explain each one in detail below.
- Shacharit—the morning prayers
- Honey cake
- A meal before midday
- Lashes
- Mikveh
- Giving charity
- Minchah
- The final meal
- Blessing the children
- The “light of the living” and the memorial light
Shacharit
We recite the Shacharit service on Erev Yom Kippur as on any other day, but we omit Psalm 100, “A song of thanksgiving,” in Pesukei Dezimrah. Tachanun is also omitted.
- One should not spend an excessive amount of time on the Shacharit service, since it is important to have time for all of the necessary tasks of Erev Yom Kippur.
Honey Cake
After the Shacharit service, it is customary to ask the gabbai of the shul for a piece of honey cake. The congregant and the gabbai each bless each other with “a good, sweet new year.”
This “sweet” custom has another interesting basis besides the obvious one. In the event that it was decreed on us to be in need of some sort of loan or gift from other people during the coming year, we can “satisfy” that decree by requesting a piece of cake on Erev Yom Kippur. We pray to receive our sustenance solely from G-d, and not from any human intermediaries.
The Mitzvah to Eat
There is a mitzvah to eat more than the norm on Erev Yom Kippur. It is customary to have two meals over the course of this day: one before midday and the other before the beginning of the fast and after the Minchah service. The second meal is known as the seudah hamafseket, the final meal.
- At both of these meals, the challah is dipped in honey, but salt is kept on the table.
A person who eats on Erev Yom Kippur merits a tremendous reward. We are taught that a person who eats on the ninth of Tishrei and fasts on the tenth is viewed as if he fasted on both days.
One should eat easily digestible foods, such as poultry or fish, throughout the day, and be careful not to eat foods that are overly spicy.
Lashes
It is customary for men to receive “lashes” before they immerse in the mikveh.
During the era of the Sanhedrin (the highest court in Jewish society millennia ago), the penalty for violating many Biblical prohibitions was 39 lashes with a leather strap. Nowadays, it is customary to deliver soft, symbolic “lashes” as part of the process of repentance on Erev Yom Kippur.
The Procedure for Lashes
The person receiving the lashes kneels on his knees and rests both hands on the floor, facing the north. The person delivering the lashes strikes him softly on the back thirty- nine times with a leather strap. The first blow is delivered to right shoulder, the second to the left shoulder, and the third to the middle of the lower back; this sequence of three lashes is followed repeatedly until the total of thirty-nine is reached.
While the lashes are administered, both the one striking and the one being struck recite together the verse, “And He is merciful; he will pardon iniquity and not destroy, and He will greatly withhold His anger and will not awaken all of His wrath.” This verse, which contains thirteen words, is recited three times, for a total of thirty-nine words, the same as the number of lashes.
Immersion in a Mikveh
There is a mitzvah to immerse in a mikveh on Erev Yom Kippur, as part of the process of repentance during these days. It is customary to immerse oneself three times in the mikveh, just as a convert immerses himself three times during the course of the conversion process.
Before immersing in the mikveh, one should bathe or shower in order to be sure that one’s body is clean and there is no foreign matter that might invalidate the immersion. There are many laws pertaining to the definition of a chatzitzah, a foreign item on the body that would render a ritual immersion invalid, but in general, any substance on the body that can be removed would constitute a chatzitzah. Examples include paint, sand, and dirt beneath the fingernails.
- The ritual immersion should be performed before the afternoon prayers, so that the Viduy (Confession) recited during those prayers will take place after the immersion.
The Minchah Service
Minchah on Erev Yom Kippur should be recited early in the afternoon so that there will be enough time for the final meal and for any other necessary preparations.
- One should donate money to charity before the prayer service.
The Baal Shem Tov used to say that the sounds of coins rattling in the bowls of charity collectors have the power to dispel the forces of impurity in the world.
Viduy – Confession
At the end of the Shemoneh Esrei, before the second Elokai Netzor, we insert the special Viduy (Confession) of the Yom Kippur prayers, which includes the passage Ashamnu Bagadnu (“We have been guilty; we have betrayed”), as well as the sequence of Al Cheit (“For the sin…”) declarations. The Viduy is printed in machzorim and siddurim. In this prayer, we “confess” all of our sins and entreat G-d to grant us atonement and accept our repentance.
Since confession is an intrinsic component of teshuvah, our Sages instituted the text of the Viduy, which includes the majority of common transgressions.
One should recite the Viduy while bowing forward in a bent position.
While mentioning each of the sins described in the Viduy, one should feel remorse and resolve inwardly not to repeat them.
Each time the words “on the sin that we have sinned” are recited, one should strike one’s chest over the heart with a fist.
The Final Meal
As the beginning of the fast approaches, we eat an additional meal known as the seudah hamafseket. This name denotes the fact that it divides (mafsik in Hebrew) Erev Yom Kippur form the day of Yom Kippur itself.
- As on Shabbat, a white tablecloth should be placed on the table, and white, festive garments should be worn.
It is customary to make this a “bread meal” and to dip the challah in honey.
It is customary to eat kreplach (pouches of dough filled with meat) at this meal. The meat is symbolic of G-d’s Attribute of Judgment, while the dough symbolizes the Attribute of Mercy. The dough surrounding the meat is symbolic of our desire for G-d to enwrap us in His mercy.
- At this meal, it is important to eat foods that are easily digested, such as poultry and meat, just as one should do throughout the day. One should not eat fish because it contributes to thirst.
- The meal should not continue until sunset itself. It should be ended a short time before sunset in order to “add” a portion of the weekday to the sacred day of Yom Kippur.
Blessing the Children
Before going to synagogue, it is customary for parents to bless their children.
At this sacred time, as Yom Kippur is approaching and the gates of mercy are open, parents bless their children to be inscribed for good, long lives and for their hearts to be filled with fear of G-d.
The father and mother each place their hands on every child’s head and bless them:
For a son: “May G-d make you like Ephraim and like Menashe.”
For a daughter: “My G-d make you like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah.”
They then recite the verses of the Kohanim’s blessing: “May G-d bless you and protect you. May G-d shine His countenance upon you and give you grace. May G-d show favor to you and place peace before you.”
- One may add any number of personal blessings for each child.
Special Clothes
One should wear white in honor of Yom Kippur, for two reasons:
- To appear similar to angels
- White clothes are reminiscent of shrouds; wearing such clothes humbles us even further and spurs us to genuine repentance
- Children should also be dressed in their Shabbat finery in honor of this sacred day.
Married men customarily wear a kittel (a long, white garment) throughout the day of Yom Kippur.
- Leather shoes may not be worn on Yom Kippur. Only canvas or rubber shoes may be worn.
Mikveh
Men customarily immerse in the mikveh again after the seudah hamafseket, in order to enter the day in a state of greater sanctity and purity.
The Memorial Light and Light of the Living
It is recommended to light large candles, which will burn throughout the fast, before Yom Kippur begins, in addition to the candles that the lady of the house lights before the beginning of the fast.
- Ner Neshamah—Memorial Candle: A person who has lost one or both parents customarily lights a candle in memory of the deceased. The candle is left to burn throughout Yom Kippur and is used for Havdalah after the conclusion of the fast.
- Ner Hachaim—Light of the Living: An additional candle, known as the light of the living, is lit on behalf of the members of the household. This candle is lit in the synagogue, along with the candles belonging to the other congregants (so that one will not inadvertently relight it if it goes out).
Candle Lighting
- Before lighting the candles to usher in the holy day, a woman should recite the Minchah service and give a coin to charity.
- A young girl lights one candle from the age at which she learns to speak until she gets married.
- A married woman lights two candles, as well as one additional candle for every one of her children.
One should ascertain the exact time for candle lighting in advance. The candles should not be lit after this time has passed! The times for candle lighting appear on standard calendars, on the Internet, and on our web site.
- After lighting the candles, the woman should place her hands over her eyes and recite two blessings:
- “Blessed are You…Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the light of Yom Kippur.”
- “Blessed are You…Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this time.”
- Women should remember that they recited the blessing of shehecheyanu at candle lighting, and they should not repeat the blessing when the men recite it after the Kol Nidrei service.
Just Before Yom Kippur Begins
Married men don a tallit above the white kittel and recite the blessing, “Blessed are You…Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to wrap ourselves in tzitzit.”
The primary mitzvah of Yom Kippur is to fast. Therefore, even if it is very difficult to go to synagogue or recite all the prayers while one is fasting, one should still be certain not to eat or drink at all throughout the day.
One should go to the synagogue early in order to usher in the holy day before the last minute.
