Any Jewish people out there? (I need help with Yom Kippur)...no, seriously

[huskerlaw]

Ok, the title is a copycat, but seriously. I'm going to Yom Kippur services next week with my roommate, who's obviously Jewish. I was raised Methodist in decidedly non-Jewish Nebraska. I've never even been IN a temple/synagogue.

So, tell me...what is Yom Kippur? I know it's like THE holiday in the Jewish faith, but is it a celebration, or is it a solemn thing?

Any background would be good too...

I'm actually really looking forward to it, though I'm completely clueless. So, yeah...HELP!

[SteppingRazor]

1. It's solemn. It's the Jewish day of atonement.

You pray for all the things you've done wrong this year, ask for forgiveness, etc.

Also, since this year falls on Sabbath, the ceremony is going to be very, very, VERY long. If you're heading to the sort of Temple that doesn't mind this sort of thing, I'd suggest showing up an hour late or so.

[malta blue]

2. Ding Ding Ding...oh and you fast as well. nt

[huskerlaw]

5. Well...

Actually, I believe we're going on Friday night, so the fasting will have just begun...I think...

After that, I think I'll leave the fasting to her. I'm just an observer at this point. ;)

[HERVEPA]

19. You are going for Kol Nidre on Friday night

If the Cantor is good, it will be very beautiful and haunting.
The Cantor chants a beautiful (sounding) prayer three times.
Service could be 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on the synagogue. Probably also will be a speech by the rabbi asking for money (pledges).
(By the way, I'm an atheist, don't go to synagogue at all any more, but my ex was religious and I used to go with her).
If this is a fairly open synagogue, good chance the cantor will be female, which in my opinion takes a little away from the beauty of it, as this particular prayer sounds better with a deeper voice. Nothing against women cantors, just for this prayer.

from Wikipedia:

It is written in Aramaic, not Hebrew. Its name is taken from the opening words, meaning "All vows".

[huskerlaw]

3. We're going to a VERY open temple

She's not a member of a temple, so we'll be going to one that's really relaxed. Today, for example, she's going to services at the Writer's Guild (there's Hollywood for ya!). I'll leave it up to her as far as when we go/leave, but I have been warned that it's really long.

Thanks for the info!

[SteppingRazor]

6. It's really long in general. But this year, it's extra long.

And, yeah, everybody's a little crabby because they haven't eaten. Although, dinner that night is usually sweet!


(For the record, these observations are brought to you by a goyim who's engaged to a Jew and ben to only a couple Yom Kippur services. So, take it for what it's worth :) )


On edit: Incidentally, if you want her to take you to a more celebratory service, next time, have her take you to Purim -- as far as I know, it's the only religious service of a major religion in which getting completely smashed is strongly encouraged.

[pink-o]

8. Well, you can get smashed at Bar/Bat Mitzvahs as well!

[SteppingRazor]

9. Well, you can at the party afterward.

If you got smashed during the actual bar mitzvah, I think the kid's parents might not appreciate it ;)

[pink-o]

10. Hee Hee. True.

[huskerlaw]

12. Hahahaha...

yeah, well...hopefully they'll still be in good spirits on Friday night!

Actually, I think we've decided to try a new thing, wherein I go with her to temple on Jewish holidays and she comes with me to church on Christian ones. Neither of us wants to convert or anything, we're just being mutually supportive and inquisitive.

[malta blue]

4. ooops

[pink-o]

7. It's considered a cleansing to start a New Year

..er...you HAVE been told that from sunup to sundown, you must FAST, right? And that includes NO WATER or other drinks. When my Orthodox father married his schiksa wife (my atheist mom) neither of them nor their half-breed children (my sister and I) went to Temple or had any Jewish Holidays. I learned everything about my Dad's religion from my friends' families, the Ports, the Goldens and the Feldsteins.

I did go a couple of times to a Reform service for Yom Kippur. The prayers and long and you hear a lot of stomachs growling when it's silent. So eat a hearty breakfast, high protein and complex carbs, drink your coffee all before 6 am. You're really gonna need the sustenance.

The celebration comes after sundown and you break your fast. You realise how wonderful a glass of water really is, the crispy bite into a perfect apple, so there's a little sacrifice to make you feel great later.

I always raz my Muslim friends that they do this same thing, only for 40 days. We must have haggled and negotiated with God to get it down to one!

[huskerlaw]

11. I have been told, yes

but we're going to the Friday night service, so I'll just fast that evening, out of respect. I'm not converting or anything...merely observing.

[UncleSepp]

13. Unless, of course, you have a medical need

If fasting would be harmful to you or someone else, for instance if you are hypoglycemic, you're not only allowed to not fast, it's mandatory that you not fast. Not doing harm and not allowing harm to come to someone is a higher principle than anything else, always. :-)

[Fredda Weinberg]

18. The fast starts sundown the day before

and it's not related to Muslim fasts.

[seemunkee]

14. The book of life is closed on Yom Kippur

1. The Book of the righteous
2. The Book of the unrighteous
3. The Book of those those in-between.
If a man is deemed righteous, his name is written in the Book of Life for the righteous at the Feast of Trumpets(Rosh Hashanah). If a man is unrighteous, his name is written in the Book of the unrighteous. If a man is deemed in-between, judgment is delayed for ten days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. It is during that period of time that a man is given opportunity to repent before the book is closed and his destiny sealed on Yom Kippur.


Wear something that covers your shoulders. Even in some of the Reformed services I've been to its frowned upon to have bare shoulders, if its Reconstructionist it probably won't matter.

[asthmaticeog]

15. No Jewish holiday is a "celebration." They're all "observances."

;)

[BlueIris]

16. I recommend "The Jewish Book of Why."

I bought it a few years ago--it's great.

[asthmaticeog]

17. I got that as a Bar Mitzvah gift!

I recently gave it, dog-eared and banged-up by 25 years of frequent reference, to a friend of mine who's half Jewish, half Catholic (like the porn industry...) because she wants to teach her son about the practices and beliefs of the Jewish side of the family but she didn't know the first thing about it. It's is a great primer, I definitely second the recommendation. :thumbsup: