Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, falls ten days after Rosh Hashanah. When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, the High Priest effected atonement for the entire people through an elaborate ritual. Today, in the absence of the Temple, each of us stands, alone, together, naked as it were, before God.
Some find the Yom Kippur liturgy, with its litany of sins, onerous, particularly for women. This text serves as a counterpoint to the traditional Al Chet (confession) affirming our goodness alongside our sins. [more]
