Leap of Faith: How do you ‘do’ Yom Kippur?
Fasting enables us to experience teshuvah - return and change
Yom Kippur, in common with all Jewish festivals, has its customs, rites and rituals which are designed to assist us in marking the moment and recalling its themes.
The most well-known custom of Yom Kippur is its fast, a form of self-denial that arises from the Book of Leviticus’s requirement ‘to afflict one’s soul’. The purpose of the fast is to make the distinction between our physical needs and the possibility of concentrating on the spiritual demands of Yom Kippur which are more likely to be found by a marathon in the synagogue than in the kitchen!
The level and depth of concentration may enable us to find the courage to reflect upon ourselves in depth and with genuine honesty, acknowledging both our virtues and our vices and thereby undergo the experience of teshuvah: return and change.
The enormity of what Yom Kippur demands of us means that we may be tempted to flee, as did the prophet Jonah, whose book we read on Yom Kippur afternoon. The core message of Jonah is that, however much we may have failed in the past year, God – and each one of us – has the capacity to forgive, to make progress, even not to repeat some of the past but only if we face up to who we are, rather than run away.
The act of a whole day in synagogue with the possibility of a realistic self- appraisal can enable the process of teshuvah, whereby we acknowledge our gifts and achievements but commit ourselves to using them to right our wrongs, to take up missed opportunities, to behold meaning in the chaos of our internal fallibilities.
Although Yom Kippur is an intensely personal day, Judaism recognises our role within the local Jewish community, the Jewish people, our neighbourhood and indeed the world at large. Public and collective confession – recalled in the ancient custom of the High Priest reciting confessional prayers for himself, his family and the Jewish people with its scapegoat – remind us that each one of us is responsible for the faults we tolerate in ourselves and in the wider ambit.
Tzedakah – the giving of time and resources to others – is part of daily Jewish life but it is specially commended on Jewish festivals. However difficult we might find Yom Kippur, there are those for whom spiritual life and indeed physical existence is an everyday struggle. Tzedakah, particularly at Yom Kippur, represents a ‘virtuous circle’ whereby not only have we done the just deed, but its recipients are enabled to fulfil their potential.
However you decide to spend Yom Kippur – for me it is a whole day of shul, fasting, hearing the Book of Jonah and tzedakah – may this hope be fulfilled in the year 5785, reflected in the words of Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan (1881-1983), the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism: “ Enable us, O God, to behold meaning in the chaos of life about us and purpose in the chaos of life within us. Deliver us from the sense of futility in our strivings… May we behold things in their proper proportions and see life in its fullness and its holiness.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
