Yom Kippur
What is Yom Kippur?
The Jewish calendar abounds with auspicious times for different things. Atonement is one of man’s greatest spiritual endeavors, but it is especially favorable on Yom Kippur day. Throughout the year we can be forgiven for sins if we repent with a sincere heart, but on Yom Kippur the gates of repentance are flung wide open and Hashem eagerly awaits to forgive us, if only we take the initiative.
When the Temple stood, Yom Kippur was a particularly special day that included many unique practices, as recorded at length in Vayikra. These activities brought down atonement from on high, but today we are left without the aid of a Temple. Rambam stresses that nowadays there is nothing other than repentance, however, the day of Yom Kippur also provides forgiveness. This is based on the verse, “…for on this day He will atone for you to purify you all, from all your sins before Hashem you shall be purified.” We learn that it is the day that provides attornment. Still, that additional injection of atonement requires a repentant heart. If Yom Kippur is utilized for introspection and repentance, the result of that soul-searching, combined with the cleansing agent of Yom Kippur, will produce an exceptionally clean slate.
The previously mentioned verse teaches another important element of repentance. Note the words from all your sins before Hashem. Sins that are before Hashem are those that are between man and G-d. These are cleansed through repentance and the day of Yom Kippur. However, sins between man and man require something else. First, the offended party must forgive, then the sinner can expect attornment from on high.
In Jewish history, Yom Kippur was the day when G-d announced to Moshe Salachtei – I forgive you. Moshe had ascended the mountain and pleaded for the Jewish nation for forty days because of the sin of the Golden Calf. On Yom Kippur the Jewish nation received forgiveness then, and on Yom Kippur they receive forgiveness anew every single year.
Preparing For the Holy Day
Yom Kippur is designated for forgiveness, and is the climax of the Ten Days of Repentance. It is cause for confident joy in G-d’s mercy and forgiveness, but it also requires reflective preparation. The books will be sealed on Yom Kippur, and our destiny confirmed. If we ready ourselves properly, we can rest assured that Hashem will be there by our side. Traditionally, there are many activities that we engage in during the days leading up to Yom Kippur. Selichos are recited throughout the Aseres Yemei Teshuva, and charity is distributed to the poor.
In general, it is important to add good deeds between the days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. In heaven, everyone’s good and bad deeds are weighed, determining which book they will be inscribed in. All mitzvos, but particularly repentance, prayer, and charity, have the potential to tip the scales.
Kaparos is an ancient custom which can be performed anytime between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but which some people delay until Erev Yom Kippur. This ancient ritual is accomplished by revolving a chicken around one’s head while reciting a text that says that the rooster will be slaughtered and the individual will proceed to a good long life.
The concept is akin to Tashlich, where sins are symbolically thrown into the watery depths. Here to, we symbolically remove our sins and place it elsewhere, as a form of urging ourselves toward repentance.
While many people use a chicken, others use money. These people wave charity money around their heads and recite a text stating that this money will go to charity and they will enter into a good long life. There is also a custom to use a fish.
Erev Yom Kippur is a particularly special day. Not only is it a day of preparation for a holiday, it is a holiday itself. There is a special requirement to partake of a festive meal. While the Torah requires us to fast, it also wants us to celebrate this holy day, and to prepare ourselves physically for the fast day. Just as fasting on Yom Kippur is a Mitzvah, so is eating on Erev Yom Kippur. It is a fearful time, due to the impending day of Yom Kippur, but also a pleasurable one, due to our anticipation for forgiveness.
There is a custom to eat two meals on Erev Yom Kippur. At the first meal, it is customary to eat fish and some people put “kreplach” in their soup. Kreplach is a dough dumpling filled with meat and it symbolizes our desire to be granted a year filled with good things. The second meal is called the Seudah Hamafsekes which is when the last food is eaten before the onset of Yom Kippur. It is customary to serve light rather than heavy foods. Also, salty and spicy foods are generally avoided.
What We Do On Yom Kippur?
The Laws and Customs
Five inuyim, or afflictions, are enforced on Yom Kippur.
We may not:
- Eat
- Drink
- Wear leather shoes
- Bathe or anoint our skin
- Engage in marital relations
Aside from the prohibitions that are unique to Yom Kippur, we may not work or do any actions that are prohibited on Shabbos. Yom Kippur is unlike other holidays where cooking and carrying is permitted. Thus, one must make sure that their Yom Kippur Machzor is in shul before the start of Yom Kippur if there is no eruv between their house and the shul.
Yom Kippur is the only fast that is biblically mandated. Due to its severity, only the most urgent circumstances allow for its violation. A competent halachic authority should be consulted in all such matters. The other four injunctions are rabbinic.
Unlike Tisha B’av, these restrictions are not due to mournful national experiences. In fact, Yom Kippur has historically been one of the happiest days of the year due to the atonement it provides. Rather, the inuyim, or afflictions, are prohibitions that keep us in the right frame of mind. They allow us to repent most effectively so that we can receive complete forgiveness from on high.
The Prayers of Yom kippur
Yom Kippur centers around atonement, and as such, we spend a lot of time praying for repentance, as well as listing off the actual sins that we performed. In the Alcoholics Anonymous program, the first step toward recovery is admission. If a person won’t admit to the fact that they have an addictive problem, they can’t possibly be helped. No matter what actions are taken, the individual will remain in denial. The same is true of Teshuva (repentance). The first step toward atonement is admission. We must own up to our problems, and to the fact that we messed up. Once we make that declaration and enumerate our sins, the next step is resolve. We need to commit to not repeating the offense. Once that is complete, we can expect atonement.
Yom Kippur and repentance are cleansing agents that wipe our slates clean – but this only applies to sins that are between man and G-d. Yom Kippur does not erase sins between man and man so long as that person does not receive forgiveness. Therefore, it is very important to ask “mechila” forgiveness from people who we wronged during the Ten Days of Repentance.
It is a very good idea to forgive others for their sins, even if they do not ask us for forgiveness. In fact, Tefillah Zakkah, which is a prayer that is customarily recited before Kol Nidrei includes a paragraph that states that one forgives others. One who finds it within themselves to forgive and forget can expect forgiveness from on high, while one who holds onto feelings of resentment and hate is less likely to receive forgiveness.
Yom Kippur begins with a unique prayer that is really a declaration known as Kol Nidrei. But before Kol Nidrei is recited, the Chazzan chants a prayer that states that both up in heaven, as well as down here on earth, everyone is invited to participate, even transgressors who may have been excluded from the synagogue throughout the year. This teaches that even one who managed to cut himself off from his spiritual life source is salvageable through the power of sincere repentance.
Then comes the thrice-repeated declaration of Kol Nidrei. This paragraph, which begins at a low volume and becomes increasingly louder with each repetition is chanted by the Chazzan and the congregation together, while a “bais din” of three people stands near the Chazzan at the front of the synagogue holding Torah scrolls. This prayer declares that any vows or promises made of our own volition are to be annulled. Various forms of oaths are enumerated, including vows, consecrations, and more. After this prayer, the men holding the Torah scrolls circle the shul and everyone kisses the Torah scrolls.
It is important to remember that the Kol Nidrei prayer only refers to those oaths that we took “al nafshana” – on ourselves. Vows, however, that were made between us and others cannot be absolved through Kol Nidrei.
When we recite the Shema on Yom Kippur, we read Baruch Shem Kivod aloud and in unison. These are words that the angels exclaim in heaven and during the year we recite them in a whisper. Yom Kippur, however, is different because it is the time when our sins are forgiven. As such we feel confident enough to recite out loud that which the angles exclaim on high.
Yom Kippur in Belz
Kaporos
In the early morning hours of Erev Yom Kippur, after saying Selichos, the Rebbe does the minhag of Kaparos in the courtyard of his house The Rebbe then stands by, deep in concentration, as the shochet slaughters his kaparos and thereafter does the mitzvah of Kisui Hadam. The Rebbe’s family members also do Kaparos at the same time. The slaughtered birds are then prepared for the upcoming Erev Yom Kippur Tish.
Erev Yom Kippur Tish
After davening Shacharis the Rebbe comes into the Tish Hall for the first meal of Erev Yom Kippur. The seriousness of the upcoming day can be felt in the air as the thousands of chassidim gathered sing heartfelt nigunim (songs) of Teshuva and Dveikus (closeness to Hashem). During the tish the Rebbe says Torah, inspiring the masses to Teshuva and Tikun Hamasim (improving one’s character).
Mincha Erev Yom Kippur
In the afternoon hours thousands of chassidim, who have already been to the mikvah and are dressed in their Yom Tov finery, come to the big shul to join the Rebbe for the tefillah on Mincha Erev Yom Kippur. During this mincha Vidui and Al Cheit are recited.
Malkos
After completing Mincha, the Rebbe leans over and his Gabbai will “whip” him (with a towel) three times, according to the minhag of the previous Rebbes.
Afterwards the Rebbe returns to his house and has the Seudas Hamafsekes (second meal of Erev Yom Kippur), with his family.
The Tefillos
The multitude of Yidden fasting and davening on Yom Kippur, wearing their Kitels and Teleisim, is an awesome experience to behold. The Rebbe will personally lead the tefillos of Kol Nidrei, Maariv, Musaf and Neilah, as the thousands of men women and children gathered in the huge shul follow the emotional and heartfelt tefillos.
An especially moving part of the davening is when the whole shul, lead the by hundreds of children in the upper galleries, sing certain parts of the davening with slow and heartwarming melodies.
Neilah
The climax of the Aseres Yemei Teshuva and Yom Kippur is the final tefillah of Neilah, in which we beg an beseech Hashem to forgive us and bless us and our families with a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. This special tefillah is lead by the Rebbe who sheds copious tears throughout as he davens for all of Klal Yisroel.
Towards the end of Neilah thousand of Yidden will scream out together “Shema Yisrael… Hashem Echad” as the accept upon themselves Ol Malchus Shamayim (the yoke of heaven). Then the Rebbe blows the shofar signaling the end of the fast.
Kiddush Levana
Right after Mariv everyone heads outside to the Shul’s large courtyard where the Rebbe leads the chassidim going Kiddush Levana (sanctifying the new moon). The custom is to do it right away, even before eating, as we want to do this mitzvah while our bodies are still pure and holy from the Yom Kippur fast.
Havdalah
After Kiddush Levana the Rebbe returns to the Shul and makes Hadvalah in the Bimah in center of the Shul. The candle used for Havdalah on Motzei Yom Kippur is lit from the special candle, called the Gezind Lecht, lit on Erev Yom Kippur. The remnants of this candle are also used to prepare the candles which will be used on Hoshana Rabba, as was the custom of the previous Rebbes of Belz.
Gezegenen – Taking Leave
After spending an uplifting and awe-inspiring Yom Kippur together with the Rebbe and thousands of fellow chassidim, the guest who have come from other cities in Israel and from abroad, will go by and shake the Rebbe’s hand while taking leave from him.
Oisfasten
Thousands of cups of coffee, tea and other drinks, along with tens of thousand of biscuits and rugelech are prepared in the shul’s courtyard for the thousands of chassidim to break their fast after the Rebbe’s Havdalah. The camaraderie is palpable as everyone wishes each other that all the Tefillos should be accepted on High.
Motzei Yom Kippur
Motzei Yom Kippur is a Yom Tov for itself. After the chassidim have returned home for and had the Yom Tov meal with their families they return to the Tish Hall where the Rebbe will conduct a special Tish. Although the tish begins at a very late hour, the atmosphere is one of purity and simcha (joy). As is the custom in Belz the Tish begins with the distribution of fruits after which the Rebbe will wash for the meal.
The Hamavdil Tish
During this Tish, among many other songs, the Rebbe sings aloud an old tune to the words of Hamavdil – a special song for Motzei Yom Kippur. After each stanza the chassidim sing over the melody without the words. This is the highlight of this Tish, hence this tish is named the “Hamavdil Tish”.
The Special Dance
As the Tish ends the Rebbe breaks out in a fiery dance to the happy tune of Shuvu Lachem Le’ohelechem. For many long minutes the thousands gathered, dance hand in hand, swaying back and forth their hearts filled with joy. A very fitting way to close such an uplifting and spiritual Yom Kippur.
Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev’s Prayers
Something was amiss. Although it was Tishrei, this was different. The Rebbe was crying and sighing. The townspeople were worried. Several days before Yom Kippur, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak summoned his gabbai. Much to the gabbai’s amazement, the Rebbe had business on his mind. “It’s time we set a fixed price for kvitlach” said the Rebbe. “I think we should ask for two groschen per name written in a kvitel.” Soon the townspeople heard about the new rule: Rather than leaving it up to each person’s discretion, the Rebbe was setting a price.
Erev Yom Kippur, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak began receiving kvitlach. People were tense – the Rebbe’s behavior indicated that it was especially important to be included in the Rebbe’s list. Two groschen wasn’t a lot, but for a poor man with many children, it was no small expense. Still, no one refused. Nobody was taking any chances. All day the Rebbe received kvitlach. Here and there some people tried to bargain with the gabbai, but no exceptions were made.
Around midday, a woman approached the gabbai and begged for an exemption. “I’m a poor widow with an only child and I don’t have four groschen. Please, talk to the Rebbe.” The gabbai agreed, but the Rebbe was unyielding. “I’m sorry,” he said to the woman, “It’s two groschen per name.” The widow left, heartbroken, but committed to obtaining the money.
Nightfall came. Everyone was already in the synagogue for Kol Nidrei, but Rabbi Levi Yitzchak lingered at home, staring out his window. Then, the widow was seen hurrying along the street clutching coins in her hand. “Here’s my kvitel” she cried. “Please pray for me and my child to be inscribed in the book of life.” “But there are just two groschen here,” protested Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, “You can only write one name in your kvitel.” “Holy Rebbe!” cried the woman, “This is all I have. I promise to pay the rest within a week.” “I’m sorry,” insisted the Rebbe, “It’s two groschen per name. Which name do you want in your kvitel?” Trembling, the woman crossed out her name. “Pray for my Shloimehleh, Rebbe,” she said, her voice shaking, “that he should have a year of life, health and happiness.”
Hearing these words, the Rebbe’s eyes flashed wildly. Grasping the two groschen, he raised his hands heavenward and cried: “Father in Heaven! Look what a mother does for her child! And shall it be said that You are less caring to Your children? Will You refuse to grant Your own children a year of life, health and happiness?!” “Come,” said Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, “I’m ready for Kol Nidrei.”