subject: Remembering the Yom Kippur Vacation [print this page] Remembering the Yom Kippur Vacation Remembering the Yom Kippur Vacation
Yom Kippur is an noteworthy holy day in the Jewish faith, and is designed to be one of the holiest days of the year. Even Jews who would not obey any other Jewish custom will make the endeavor to not work, to go without food and drink, and frequent observance at their synagogue on this day. Yom Kippur is also called the Day of Atonement, and the chief themes of the day are repentance and atonement for sins. It is the one day of the year when Jews attempt to atone for the sins against god for year past.
There are a small number of prominent things that are not approved while observing Yom Kippur. The first is that there is no work done on that day. It is a true Sabbath and is a highly strict day of respite. More than that, food and drink are prohibited. The traditional refrain from food and drink for Yom Kippur lasts for 25 hours, and starts an hour before Yom kippur and finishes after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur. Notwithstanding that every healthy adult is expected to abstain from food and drink during this time, human beings who are suffering from deadly illnesses, pregnant women, and those who have recently has a baby, as well as any child under nine are not expected to fast.
There are more restrictions kept on this day, such as a forbiddance on bathing during Yom Kippur, as well as not wearing any sort of perfume or lotion. Leather shoes are taboo, and there is no sex during this day. The primary idea behind self-restraint from these things is that it symbolically depicts a return to a primal state, back before people were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Despite the fact that not a confinement or a necessity, most human beings wear white during this day. This is to signify purity and helps call to mind the promise that their sins will be made as white as snow.
An main part of the day takes place within the synagogues. The devout spend their day there, deep in prayer. The services for the day on the whole begin early, mostly around 8 or 9 am and carry on throughout the day until around 3pm. At this point, human beings go home for a rest, some to nap, and come again a few hours later for evening observance. All of the ritual complete at nightfall.
