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Yom Kippur: Observant Jews
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To begin Yom Kippur with Kol Nidre seems to be a contradiction in terms. Why? Because Yom Kippur is supposedly a day of asking forgiveness for the previous year, whereas Kol Nidrei begs for “absolution and retraction” for the upcoming year, from “this Yom Kippur till the next.” What’s going on? Is this an attempt to cancel the “future?” The answer lies in the halachik difference between an oath (a shevuah) and a vow (a neder), with the former being limited to statements made within the Jewish judiciary; the latter to words made in the open, amongst nonJews.xlvi
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Yom Kippur is a day different from all others. It, alone in the Jewish calendar, is a “Day of Death,” a time when all the normal teachings about honoring the body are, for one day, reversed. On this day, the sanctification of ordinary life and the celebration of the body and the world are undone, so that layers of self can be meticulously scrubbed away.
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Yom Kippur requires a fast of about 25 hours. The final meal before is a somewhat festive occasion, including soup, chicken, and challah, traditional Jewish bread. Salty foods, which may make fasting more difficult, are generally avoided. Participants are advised to drink plenty of water and to brush their teeth before the fast begins. Those who usually drink a lot of caffeine are advised to start cutting down days before to avoid the headache associated with caffeine withdrawal.
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On October 6, 1973 — Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar — Egypt and Syria opened a coordinated surprise attack against Israel. The equivalent of the total forces of NATO in Europe were mobilized on Israel's borders. On the Golan Heights, approximately 180 Israeli tanks faced an onslaught of 1,400 Syrian tanks. Along the Suez Canal, 436 Israeli defenders were attacked by 80,000 Egyptians.
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On the eve of Yom Kippur, the Kol Nidre is recited. This prayer is well known for its beautiful melody, but its meaning has sometimes been misunderstood. The Kol Nidre ("all vows") annuls all vows made throughout the year, and Anti-Semites have used the prayer as evidence that Jews are untrustworthy. But the Kol Nidre actually refers only to vows made between oneself and God, and especially frivolous vows made to God when pleading for help or religious vows made under duress (such as professed conversion to Christianity during the Inquisition). {4}
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Yom Kippur begins just before sundown Wednesday and runs through sundown Thursday. Jews worldwide will honor Yom Kippur with a 24-period of self-denial, prayer and forgiveness. Many will take off work, school and recreational activities to spend the day in prayer at synagogue.
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