AN ANTHOLOGY OF THOUGHT & EMOTION... Un'antologia di pensieri & emozioni
הידע של אלוהים לא יכול להיות מושגת על ידי המבקשים אותו, אבל רק אלה המבקשים יכול למצוא אותו

Saturday 4 May 2019

THE JEWISH HOLIDAY CYCLE - 2

The Ten Days of Awe
The Ten Days of Awe

The ten days between Rosh ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur are meant to be a time of introspection that makes them a biblically divergent holiday with the thematic unity of transformation of the High Holiday process called aseret yemei teshuvah - the ten days of repentance. This is the preriod when the unrighteous can still repent and be written into the Book of Life. It is a time of mitigation and deep inner work. For example, it is necessary to go to those we have wronged and make our peace. The way the divine is experienced is through compassion and reconciliation.

This is a time of increased passion - passion for self-truth, self-knowledge, and making peace with ourselves, our loved ones and the world through an introspective period of deep prayer and meditation. Though an introspective time, it is extremely active psychologically.

TZOM GEDALIAH

In antiquity, Gedaliah was the last Jewish Governor of Judea. He was appointed by the Babylonians to rule the remnant of the Jewish State after the destruction of the First Temple (586 B.C.E.). His assassination was the essential end of Jewish sovereignty. Except for brief periods until Pre-Roman times.

Yom Kippur Shofar
Yom Kippur
AT-ONE-MENT

Yom Kippur ends the ten days of teshuvah (return) begun on Rosh ha-Shanah. It is intended to leave us feeling that we face our mortality cleansed, renewed, and filled with purpose. We read in the Torah that God gave Moses specific instructions for the "Sabbath of Sabbaths". It is a time very much about us as individuals, and our place in the community, the essence of which is said in the teaching of Hillel - "Do not do to others what is hateful to yourself". In order to enhance our throughtfulness and focus our attention, we fast, stop working, wear white and no leather, do not bathe, and have no sexual relations.

All activity is in the synagogue, where there are services most of the day.

  • Kol Nidrei - Evening service
  • Shaharit - The morning service including Torah service and Yizkor.
  • Musaf - A service which includes the Book of Jonah.
  • Neilah - Just before sundown. We push our prayers through the closing gates.

Traditions and Customs

EREV YOM KIPPUR

The day before Yom Kippur is a special day of preparation.

One of the old customs is kapparot (atonements), which involved taking a rooster or hen and twirling it around the head, reciting a prayer that the chicken be killed instead of the individual who performed the ceremony. Today, instead of twirling the chicken and then killing it, money in a handkerchief can be substituted.

In the afternoon is the last meal before the fast, called the seudah ha-mafsekef. Wishing others a tzom kal - an easy fast - is traditional.

Here we light the holiday candles with the blessing and She-he-heyanu. We also light a special memorial candle to burn throughout Yom Kippur in memory of deceased parents, and we bless our children. The table is covered with a special holiday cloth, which is usually white, and all the family dress in white also.

SYNAGOGUE OBSERVANCE

The evening service begins with Kol Nidrei - one of the best-known prayers in the liturgy. The chanting is intended to void any promises we have made that we will be unable to keep in the coming year. A Torah scroll is held on either side of the service leader. Kol Nidrei is then chanted three times before sundown. This tradition dates from fifteenth-century Spain.

On Yom Kippur also, a prayer shawl is worn for Kol Nidrei and for all the services. Some may wish to take off leather shoes for services.

Following Kol Nidrei is the Ma'ariv service. All services have special High Holiday nusach (melody), different for each service. The next morning there is the Shaharit, then the memorial prayer for the dead, called Yizkor, is normally read after the Torah reading, though some congregations move it to later in the afternoon, timed during this part of the day because those who have not suffered a loss may not wish to attend.

Included in the Yom Kippur davening are the Avodah service and the martyrology. In temple times the Avodah involved sacrifices and a series of confessions by the high priest. This service was the origin of the term "scapegoat", as a goat was taken to the desert and sacrificed to bring atonement for Israel's sins.

In making his confession, the High Priest would go for one day in the year to the Holy of Holies, where he would pronounce the Name of God, which is not said today, mainly because no one knows any longer how to pronounce it. An important custom arose out of this tradition, where everyone first drops to the knees and then the body is stretched outwards with the head almost touching the ground in complete prostration at the speaking of the Name of God. After the Avodah there is the martyrology. The reason for this is to tell the story of the martyrs killed by the Romans. Today some prayer books include material related to the Holocaust (Shoah) as well. There is no morbid purpose to this, but simply a reminder of the power of the faith.

The final service  - Neilah - of Yom Kippur acquires its name and much of its content from the symbol of heaven's gates closing. Originally the term probably related to the closing of the temple gates, and is an energetic service said while standing.

Finally comes the sound of the shofar - the central symbol of the High Holidays. This ends the day and the whole period of Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur Recipes

KREPLACH
6-8 SERVINGS MEAT

(This dish may be made Pareve or Dairy, depending on the meat substitute used)

It is traditional to eat kreplach before the Yom Kippur fast. The following recipe can be made with the traditional meat filling, or with a vegetarian substitute. I love kreplach, you'll love it too!

WONTON NOODLE WRAPPERS

(available at most grocery stores in the fresh produce section)

MEAT OR SUBSTITUTE FILLING

1 medium onion, chopped fine
3/4 cup ground meat, or ground meat substitute (available in many grocery stores)
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the onion with the ground meat or substitute. Remove any excess fat. Combine with egg, salt and pepper to taste. Open wonton wrapper, and remove one noodle sheet at a time. Keep others covered with a damp towel. Place 1 tbsp. on each square. Follow directions on package for sealing wonton. Fold into a triangle and press edges together firmly. Leave as is, or press together two of the ends. Drop into boiling water and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. After being formed, kreplach can be placed on a cookie sheet and frozen.

They can be used in traditional chicken soup, or to create a special vegetarian soup.

VEGETARIAN BROTH
10-12 SERVINGS PAREVE

Kreplach or matzo balls can be served in this lovely, flavourful broth. I particularly enjoy this soup with matzo balls... try it.

USE A LARGE SELECTION OF VEGETABLES, INCLUDING:

Carrots
Celery
Onions
Parsnips
White potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Tomatoes (which are fruit, actually)
Cabbage
Rutabaga
Potatoes, regular and sweet
Dill and other herbs
Bay leaves
Parsley
And any other vegetables you want

Put the whole vegetables in a large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat. Cook for at least 4 hours or until vegetables are soft. Press vegetables in a sieve over a pot. Save liquid and discard the vegetables. You can save the carrots to slice into the broth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Yom Kippur Story
RETOLD BY MAGGID DANIEL LEV

The essential practice of Yom Kippur is called Teshuva. Although the word is usually translated as "repentance", its literal meaning is more relevant to modern concerns over relationship difficulties, addictive behaviour, and other hurtful actions. Literally, Teshuva means "to turn around". When we make Teshuva we try to turn our life around, to turn it away from the destructive path it has been on and forge a new one toward a holy life. Sometimes when we do this we have to leave behind a whole part of ourselves, a part that has been destroying us. The following story teaches us this truth.

One day, not too far from the awesome holiday of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, Michol the Hood came to see the Chassidic master Elimelech of Lizensk. Mow Michol had been the head of a very profitable and feared Jewish mafia that operated in nineteenth-century Eastern Europe. He had committed every crime imaginable but was now in midlife and felt the pangs of regret for the life that he had led. He had no wife, children, or family to speak of, and it had been years since he had stepped into a synagogue. Despite his evil life, Michol was still a Jew and felt drawn to change his ways and seek redemption through the practice of Teshuva. He deperately wanted to be forgiven by God for all the evil he had wrought.

So it was that he now brought himself to the great Rebbe Elimelech. Surely the master could help him gain forgiveness for all his sins. The Rebbe knew of Michol and told him to go home and return all of his material wealth into cash, place it in a white bag, and return with it in three days. Michol did so, and in three days brought back a huge bag stuffed with thousand of rubles. The Rebbe told him to drop it on the table and sit down. There Michol found a paper and quill pen. Reb Elimelech instructed him in a stern voice to make a complete list of every sin he had committed since his Bar Mitzvah. Grimly, Michol carried out the Rebbe's task, finishing it in three hours, filling twelve pages front and back.

The Rebbe instructed Michol to stand before him as he read the list out loud: "Oy Gevalt, Michol, how could you do this and this and this... and you treated this old woman horribly and this is what you did to that little girl..." The Rebbe read on and on in ever-increasing volume and incredulity until Michol became so filled with guilt, remorse, and tension that he fainted dead away. Reb Elimelech went to his kitchen, returned with a glass of water, and threw it in Michol's face. When the repentant came to,  the Rebbe got him on his feet and continued the reading of the list of sins. Michol fainted ten more times before the list was finished.

"Oh Rebbe, please," begged Michol the Hood, "tell me what I have to do in order to make a complete Teshuva and be forgiven by heaven."

Reb Elimelech thought for a long time and then spoke: "In the days of the Beyt ha-Mlkdash, the Holy Temple, someone with such a list of crimes could not be forgiven in this life. The only way to receive forgiveness was in death, and the way of death was by swallowing a spoon of molten lead. This is the only way you can be forgiven."

Michol sat very still for some time while the Rebbe waited. Finally, he sadly nodded his head, "If this is the only way, then I will submit to the will of heaven." So strong was his determination to change that he was willing to do so in death.

"Here's what you must do," said the Rebbe. "Take a few rubles from the bag and go out and buy a metal spoon, a small chunk of lead, some flux, and a small towel. Bring it here by tonight."

When Michol returned he found his master stoking a huge fire in the fireplace in his study. He beckoned Michol over and began to instruct him: "Place the lead and flux in the spoon... now hold the towel at the end of the spoon and melt the lead over the fire."

In performing this action, Michol felt the deep sense of surrender and devotion that was experienced by the ancient Temple priests. Throughout the procedure, he offered up his life as a priest would offer up a repentance sacrifice.

The Rebbe took the spoon and told Michol to lie down and the floor before the fire. He lead him through the Vidui, the confessional prayer said before death. Then he said the Shema prayer attesting to the oneness of God. He then covered Michol's eyes with a kerchief. In his heart, Michol was prepared to give over his soul to God.

"Now, Michol, prepare to receive the judgement and forgiveness of heaven," thundered Reb Elimelech. He then put a spoon into Michol's open mouth... and... Michol... felt... marmalade, sweet, orange marmalade squishing around  in his mouth. He sat up, confused, his eyes pleading with the Rebbe for understanding.

"You are no longer Michol. Michol is dead and comletely forgiven." Said Reb Elimelech in the most gentle voice, "You are a new soul in Israel. Find a new name, take this bag of money, and go out to do good in the world."

And so it was.


Glossary of Terms and Traditions of Interest

  • Book of Jonah - Read on the afternoon of Yom Kippur, this is the story of a prophet who flees, and then returns to God's service. It speaks of God's forgiveness for all.
  • G'mar chatimah tovah - A greeting used between Rosh ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur, it means "Be sealed (in the Book of Life) for good."
  • Kol Nidrei - One of the best known prayers of Yom Kippur and means "All vows". It is chanted at the beginning of the Ma'ariv service on the evening of Yom Kippur.
  • Tallit - A prayer shawl usually used only for morning worship.
  • Teshuva - "Returning" to our best selves. It indicates that we turn away from those behaviours that interfere with our spirituality and godliness.
  • Vidul - The Jewish Confession, made directly to God without the aid of any intermediary.
  • Yom Kippur - Literally, "Day of Atonement."

The Sacred Year of Israel
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