Introduction
Confessing our wrongdoings, as the Yom KippurThe holiest day of the Jewish year and the culmination of a season of self-reflection. Jews fast, abstain from other worldly pleasures, and gather in prayers that last throughout the day. Following Ne'ilah, the final prayers, during which Jews envision the Gates of Repentance closing, the shofar is sounded in one long blast to conclude the holy day. It is customary to begin building one's sukkah as soon as the day ends. liturgy encourages us to, is certainly important and worthwhile. But in addition, Rav A. I. Kook, in Ein Ayah (The Falcon’s Eye), his commentary on sections of the TalmudThe rabbinic compendium of lore and legend composed between 200 and 500 CE. Study of the Talmud is the focus of rabbinic scholarship. The Talmud has two versions, the main Babylonian version (Bavli) and the smaller Jerusalem version (Yerushalmi). It is written in Rabbinic Hebrew and Aramaic., suggests another important practice: articulating our many positive deeds. How might you adapt “The Positive Confession,” below, to reflect your own needs this Yom Kippur? What do you want or need to acknowledge, thank and praise yourself for at this time?
—Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein
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