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.
Yom Kippur is the dramatic culmination of the entire season of teshuvah, repentance. On Yom Kippur, Jews abstain from eating, drinking, bathing, sexual relations, and the wearing of leather (a sign of luxury) for 25 hours. Jews dress in white and traditionally spend most of the day in synagogue.
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Meditation before Yom Kippur for One who Cannot Fast | Prayer
By Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub, LCSW
A possible comfort for one who shouldn't fast due to health
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Days of Awe | Poem
By Alicia Ostriker
Reflections on Elul, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
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Affirmation of Mitzvot | Prayer
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.
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Aninu | Prayer
By Rachel Adler
A prayer based on traditional texts but which addresses God in feminine and gender-neutral imagery
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Aninu Shechina — Answer us, Shechina | Prayer
By Yaffa Weisman
A prayer based on traditional texts which addresses God as Shechina
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Hu Ya'anenu: Answer Us | Prayer
By Rachel Adler
Adds biblical women to the list of biblical men in this traditional prayer
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Selichot Service: Compilers' Note | Article
By Rachel Adler
An explanation of why the authors created a Selichot liturgy to include voices of men and women
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Hu Ya'anenu, Hi Ta'anenu | Prayer
By Arthur Ocean Waskow
An inclusive version of this traditional Selichot (penitential) prayer.
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The Woman's Prayer (La Orasion de la Mujer) | Prayer
Melody by Flory Jagoda, recorded by Susan Gaeta
Traditional Sephardic blessing before lighting candles
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Remembering Dulcie of Worms in the Martyrology | Article
By Rabbi Leah Novick, adapted by Susan Sapiro
An addition to the Eyleh Ezkerah martyrology section of the Yom Kippur service, this is a short biography of a learned and accomplished medieval Jewish woman who was murdered during the Crusades.
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Essence of Tishrei | Article
A summary of facts, characters, and holidays pertaining to the month of Tishrei
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