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Yom Kippur - יום כיפור- Day of Atonement

Yom Kippur is the High Holy Day. It occurs on every year on 10th of Tishri, which this year corresponds to Sunday 27th and Monday 28th September.

Yom Kippur is tough work; you are required to fast for 25 hours which includes not even water passing your lips. In fact you are not meant to shower, brush your teeth or wear make up! Fat chance of that happening in my house…

No work of any kind is allowed, a bit like the Shabbath, which means no driving or using electricity. We are not permitted to engage in sexual relations on Yom Kippur, and also wear leather shoes; most orthodox people will wear canvas runners with their suits (Fashion people should head for the direction of Terenure on Monday!!).

Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur people are to seek forgiveness for your sins of the previous year and get ready to change your behaviour for the forthcoming year.

The festival starts on the evening before with a service in the synagogue called Kol Nidre - כל נדרי.  Kol Nidre is also known as name for the (erev) night before Yom Kippur as well as the service. Before Kol Nidre no matter how much time you leave to prepare the meal before the fast, there is always a rush to the synagogue. I believe most families fast on a light meal, sometimes an egg on toast but in my family my Dad insists on a big slap up meal! I think I would prefer something lighter personally, if I stuff my face lets say on a lazy Sunday, and then I wake up on the Monday morning STARVING!

Torah in the Ark

The day is officially spent in the synagogue for a full day of prayer. The Ark which is the closet that holds the Torah (five books of Moses) is open for most of the service which means the congregation must stand, its not easy to do at the best of times never mind being so hungry.

Children don’t take part in the fasting until they are of Bar Mitzvah / Bat Mitzvah age, which would be 13 for boys and 12 for girls as they mature faster than boys!

At the end of the long service the Shofar is blown with the note, tekiah gedolah, so everyone knows it’s the end.

My fondest memory of Yom Kippur is when my Great Uncle David from New Jersey would come to Dublin for the festival season and just after the Shofar blowing I would always meet him outside the synagogue, (FYI: men and women sit separate in the synagogue) and we would eat a stash of jellies, fruit pastilles I think, to break our fast together in his car before going to my family home for a big feast that my Mum would have had to prepare whilst fasting. Not easy I’m sure.

And just for a giggle; I remember coming home from school one day and watching MTV Select with Richard Blackwood in Leicester Square, he was saying loads of the “Yo Momma”, jokes and this one made me and Mummy Kutner LOL!

Yo Momma’s so thick, she though TuPac Shakur was a Jewish holiday!!!

On that note, I better get back to workies, lunchtime is over!

To all my readers, I would like to wish everyone Happy New Year and well over the fast.

Mwah