Text Box: WE USHER IN YOM KIPPUR WITH KOL NIDRE Friday, September 17 and Saturday, September 18            Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, also called the Sabbath of Sabbaths, is considered by many to be the holiest day of the Jewish New Year.  It is a day in which tradition suggests that each person’s record is received by God and their worthiness appraised.  We ask forgiveness for our sins and for our failings and pray for strength to improve in the future.  It is also a time of recalling the memory of the departed and their influence and for the giving of charity.  It is a day full of fasting, prayer and solemnity, and opportunity for Jewish ritual to shape our identities and reshape our character.  For many, the Yom Kippur holiday has woven into it the fabric of memory and nostalgia of earlier years. Yom Kippur is the one religious occasion which is observed almost in its entirety in the synagogue.  The day, however, is preceeded by a meal which is intended to serve as a spiritual experience for the entire family.  The meal is eaten early so that the family can be in the synagogue for the Kol Nidre service which begins at 7:00 PM.            Blessing for Candles:  On Yom Kippur eve the following blessing is recited: Barukh Atah Adonai Elohaynu melekh ha-olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvatov vetzivanu lehadlik ner shel Yom Ha’LKippurim.  Shehecheyanu is also said: Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Thy commandments and instructed us to kindle the Festival Lights.            Blessing the Children:  It is a beautiful tradition that before leaving for the synagogue for Kol Nidre,parents bless their children and wish them well in the year to come...to become good Jews and decent, moral human beings making their contributions to the community, to the Jewish people and to mankind.            Memorial Lamp:  It is customary to light a memorial lamp on Kol Nidre Eve for dear departed in the family.  The memorial lamps must be lit before the holiday candles are lit.            Fasting on Yom Kippur:  It is a Biblical law which mandates that every Jew, unless ill, fasts for the full day of Yom Kippur.  Anyone who retains the most elementary sense of Jewish feeling will observe this day in fast.  The reasons for fasting are numerous.  These include the fact that it is one of the basic Biblical commandments as described in the Book of Leviticus.  Fasting is a sign of contrition, the act of self sacrifice which shows that our remorse is more than lip service.  We fast also because this act of self discipline helps us to focus on what is spiritual in us...on the soul instead of the body and prepares us to face God in prayer and repentance as we seek His forgiveness and blessings for life and health in the New Year.  We also fast to help awaken within us the compassion to recognize a troubled humanity...that many live in hunger and need and we do what we can for mankind.  Children who are thirteen and have celebrated their Bar/Bat Mitzvah are required to fast.  Children somewhat younger may be trained and educated to fast at least part of the day.            Synagogue Services:  Members of the family spend a good deal of the twenty-five hours of Yom Kippur in the synagogue.  The first service of the day, which is held on Friday evening, is the touching and memory filled Kol Nidre service.  Throughout the course of the following day, the congregation participates in the confession of sins, the hearing of the Torah, the challenging message of the prophetic readings from Isaiah, the Yizkor service, and we conclude with the Musaf service.  The Mincha service is followed by the Ne’ilah service which is one of the most moving of holiday services.  It features the entire congregation singing as one chorus raising its voice in prayer to God on behalf of our individual well being and the well being of the entire community, using the metaphor that our prayers will be accepted before the Ne’ilah - closing the Heaven’s gates.  The Ne’ilah service is concluded with the blowing of the Shofar heralding our hope for a year of health and peace for all mankind.            Break-the-Fast:  All of our members and their guests are welcome to remain to enjoy Break-The-Fast, sponsored by the Brotherhood and the Sisterhood.