The BiG Story
Did You <n ow ...
* According to the Talmud, the word teshuva, repentance, was estab-
lished before the world itself was created.
* Although the Rambam (Maimonides) wrote extensively about Yom
Kippur, he never described fasting as an "affliction," but rather a "rest-
ing" (from eating).
* We are encouraged to invite the poor to our home for the festive
meal before the Yom Kippur fast begins.
• Tradition says that the fate of those whose future had not been
sealed on Rosh HaShana (i.e., the extraordinarily righteous and the
most evil) would be determined on Yom Kippur. This means almost
every one of us – but only God knows for certain.
Yorn s Kippur is the only major Jewish holiday that is not observed for
two days in the diaspora. This-is because the rabbis determined that a
two-day fast simply would be too difficult.
Yom Kippur is the only day on which we say the Amida, or She-
mono Esrei, five separate times. (SoMe believe this is the inspiration
behind the Muslim edict to pray five times daily.)
A handful of Jews maintain the tradition of standing throughout the
entire day as they recite prayers.
While one is not permitted to eat, Jews are allowed to enjoy pleas-
ant aromas on Yom Kippur, which inspired a custom among some of
smelling spices.
Tradition states that Yom Kippur was the day of the Akeda, the bind-
ing of Isaac.
* Being in synagogue on Yom Kippur can save your .life in more
ways than one. On Yom Kippur in 1973, the Arabs made a sur-
prise attack against Israel. Because the streets were virtually empty,
the israel Defense Forces were able to move quickly in response to
the assault.
nary human experience.
The Yom Kippur service is lengthy,
in part because of the many piyutim
(liturgical poems) inserted into the
Amida (silent prayer recited while
standing and afterwards chanted
aloud by the cantor). Many of the
piyutim are emotional pleas for
God's mercy and forgiveness. Oth-
ers repeat the main theme of Rosh
HaShana — the role of God as
monarch and judge.
A notable feature of the Yom Kip-
pur service is the vidui, or confes-
sion. This consists of two lists of
sins. One is alphabetical and
begins with the word ashamnu,
we have become guilty." The other
is quite long and starts with the
words al chet shichatanu Ilanecha
"
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("For the sin that we have sinned
before You"). The vidui is recited
twice at each of the five Yom Kip-
pur services.
The litany of sins included in the
vidui includes serious offenses, such
as robbery, persecution, immorality,
lying and slander.
Most people who live an ordi-
nary, middle-class life would be
offended at such accusations; and
yet, there they are to be recited by
everyone.
Could it be that we are,
indeed, guilty of such crimes?
Some might say that each of us,
in one way or another, has com-
mitted these transgressions, or
what could be interpreted as a
form of these sins. Of course,
being guilty of a minor offense is
not the same as being imprisoned
for a terrible crime. Nonetheless,
we all recite the same list so as
not to point fingers at others. On
Yom Kippur, we all confess our
guilt and all of us are eligible for
forgiveness.
What if one wishes to address a
sin not listed in the litany?
The rabbis teach that because
the vidui is recited quietly, it is
proper for a worshipper to insert
a confession of his or her own.
Even so, we recite the standard
litany for a number of reasons.
Among these is the fact that some
people simply don't know how to
express their thoughts, and so the
list draws them into a disposition
of confession.
We also know — especially from
recent history — that not everyone
is capable of telling the truth about
the wrongs he has committed.
When such a person recites the
vidui, he is forced to admit his bad
behavior.
The rabbis teach that the vidui
on Yom Kippur is not enough. If
someone committed a sin against
another person, the sinner must
first seek the forgiveness of the
person he or she offended before
coming to God for absolution.
Yom Kippur makes us face the
fact that we do not live on this
earth alone. We must go through
every day of our lives aware that
what we say and do impacts oth-
ers.
Yom Kippur is not all somber
and scary. By tradition, at the
end of the day we regard our-
selves as transformed and the
slate wiped clean. We come
home from the synagogue or tem-
ple, enjoy a festive meal and look
forward to a new year of positive
opportunity. ri
Hooked On Books
See your art poster in AppleTree.
Children aged 3-12 are invited to put their artistic talents to work
for the 48th annual Jewish Book Fair poster contest, Nov. 6-14.
Using the theme "Get Hooked on Books at the Jewish Book Fair,"
children entering the contest may use markers, crayons, paint or cut
paper to create a poster measuring 8-1/2 inches x 11 inches.
Entrants should not use pencils or light-blue crayons, and entries
must be taped to cardboard for protection.
Place the artist's name, address, telephone number and age on
the back of the art. Only one entry per child may be submitted.
The deadline for submissions is Oct. 8.
The contest is divided into three age groups: up to age 6, 7 9,
and 10 12. The winner in each group receives an autographed
copy of You're Officially a Grownup by Judith Viorst, who speaks
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at the book fair on Nov. 8. The grand-prize winner will have his or
her entry reproduced on the cover of AppleTree, and the winning
poster will be copied and posted throughout the community to pro-
mote the Jewish Book Fair. All entries received will be displayed
during the book fair at both JCC locations, the D. Dan & Betty
Kahn Building in West Bloomfield and the Jimmy Prentis Morris
Building in Oak Park.
Send or hand-deliver contest entries, marked Children's Poster Con-
test, to Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit, Book Fair
Dept., 6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322. i I