Pictures: Orthodox Jews observe Yom Kippur. Hungry congregants head home to break their fast with family and friends. In the United States, a classic Yom Kippur meal to end the fast is brunchlike, with bagels, smoked fish, and sweet and savory delights. Editor's note: This story was originally published on September 25, It has been updated. All rights reserved. Origins and meaning of Yom Kippur Tradition has it that the holiday originated with the prophet Moses.
How Yom Kippur is celebrated The holiday begins at sundown and lasts until sundown the following day. Share Tweet Email. Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city Caracals have learned to hunt around the urban edges of Cape Town, though the predator faces many threats, such as getting hit by cars.
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Go Further. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth. Yom Kippur , one of the most sacred dates in the Jewish religious calendar , is taking place this week. It marks the culmination of the Days of Repentance or Days of Awe, a day period of introspection that follows Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which celebrates the anniversary of the creation of the world.
Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, has a special resonance this year as we think more deeply about our lives. The origins trace back to the story of Moses, after the people of Israel made their exodus from Egypt. The first commandment told people that they should not worship anyone other than God.
However, when he descended from the mountain, Moses caught the Israelites worshipping a golden calf and shattered the holy tablets in anger. The Israelites atoned for their idolatry and God forgave them on on the 10th day of Tishrei, which then became known as Yom Kippur. Anyone who must eat due to health reasons will not be required to fast. Children under the age of nine are also exempted. The Festival of Sukkot likely began as an agricultural celebration , and the booths were shelters in which farmers stayed during the collection of grain, which was to be processed for the year.
Vestiges of this agricultural commemoration appear in certain passages in the Bible, one of which indicates that the festival is to last seven days to mark the time period in which Israelites dwelt in booths, or makeshift dwellings with branches, when leaving Egypt. Such a time of rejoicing contrasts with the somber repentance and fasting that feature in Yom Kippur.
This period of seven days ends with Shemini Atzeret on the eighth day, both a connected celebration capping off Sukkot and a festival in its own right. The annual reading of the Torah ends with the final text of Deuteronomy. The beginning of the next annual reading cycle, starting with the first book Genesis, is also celebrated. This act of beginning a new year of reading the Bible is commemorated in the festival called Simchat Torah. The observance of Simchat Torah was a later innovation, described already in the fifth century or so but not formalized or identified by this name until the medieval period.
Religious calendars and festivals can force people to encounter certain ideas in the year. For example, they can enable them to face the more difficult dynamics of life like repentance and forgiveness , providing avenues to reflect on the events of the past year and to find courage to live differently in the next year where needed. In this manner, structuring the celebration of the new year around remembrances of a variety of human experiences, both sorrow and joy, entails a profound recognition of the complexity of relationships and experiences in life.
In particular, the High Holy Days — as illustrated in the renewal of Rosh Hashanah , the somber reflection of Yom Kippur — as well as the joyous celebrations in Sukkot and Simchat Torah , offer a means to remember that time is itself healing and restorative. As such, the High Holy Days and the holiday season in Tishrei help to mark the year in meaningful ways and to highlight our moral responsibility toward one another.
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