Happy Yom Kippur!!!

[darknessesedge]

May the Lord bless and keep you safe!!
Shalom!!

[Koushi Shinigami]

I don't know what the proper greeting is on this holiday.

But may God bless all our Jewish posters.

[RayMan]

"G'mar hatima tova" to all y'all.

[byzantine catholic]

God bless everyone on Yom Kippur.http://forums.hannity.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[archangelo]

As the sun sets this evening, I trust that your fast was easy, and rejoice that you have been sealed and inscribed for the New Year!

:pray:

[Abe]

Thanks y'all. Little ol' secular me ain't the perfect address for the greetings, but thank you.

I'm sure that the observant Jews will show up after nightfall.

[Stantz]

don't know how "happy" Yom Kippur is supposed to be exactly ;)
but Gmar Hatima Tova anyways :)

[ROBERTENEAL]

It will be a happy one for us. Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary - 30 years !

[noelle12]

When our Jewish friends return after this holy day, maybe they would be so kind as to share how they celebrate this particular holiday.

In the mean time, have a wonderful Yom Kippur!

[darknessesedge]

It will be a happy one for us. Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary - 30 years !

cool..the wife and I celebrated 22 last aug..

[Jacob_Rising]

Thanks y'all. Little ol' secular me ain't the perfect address for the greetings, but thank you.

I'm sure that the observant Jews will show up after nightfall.Too bad this is the last year of honouring Jews on these days.

I saw Stephen Colbert do a clip on the 700 show.

They said that didn't know how Rosh Hashannah got seperated from Christianity but they are claiming it back.

That's just the start, Christians will be stealing Yom Kippor and Simchat Torah before long and they will just wish each other A Nice Holy day.

Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippor came back with a bang but the return to Sukkot will change the world imo.

[Stantz]

When our Jewish friends return after this holy day, maybe they would be so kind as to share how they celebrate this particular holiday.

In the mean time, have a wonderful Yom Kippur!

My family who is not that religious at all , usually has a nice big meal in preparation for the fast , besides the usual stuff some ceremonial foods are included like Apples in Honey, as well as pomegranate .
As far as the fasting, well.. they "sorta" fast, they still drink water, and if someone gets really hungry they might grab a little snack ;)

by far one of the goofiest (in my opinion) and i guess least known of traditions of Yom Kippur is the practice of "Kaparot" .
(this is practiced by a pretty small section of Jews)
The best way to explain it is spinning a chicken above your head at high velocities and by doing so "transferring" your sins to the chicken (im not kidding)
This also raises the question as to why a chicken to begin with? and does the chicken become an "evil chicken" with all of your sins transferred to it ?
anyway here is a little video of this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lJxDZbXrsY
I've seen this in Jerusalem actually where 100s of people gather around at one place and well "spin chickens"

[Jacob_Rising]

My family who is not that religious at all , usually has a nice big meal in preparation for the fast , besides the usual stuff some ceremonial foods are included like Apples in Honey, as well as pomegranate .
As far as the fasting, well.. they "sorta" fast, they still drink water, and if someone gets really hungry they might grab a little snack ;)

by far one of the goofiest (in my opinion) and i guess least known of traditions of Yom Kippur is the practice of "Kaparot" .
(this is practiced by a pretty small section of Jews)
The best way to explain it is spinning a chicken above your head at high velocities and by doing so "transferring" your sins to the chicken (im not kidding)
This also raises the question as to why a chicken to begin with? and does the chicken become an "evil chicken" with all of your sins transferred to it ?
anyway here is a little video of this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lJxDZbXrsY
I've seen this in Jerusalem actually where 100s of people gather around at one place and well "spin chickens"

Thats is too cool, I needed a smile, Spinning chickens.

I like that.

[noelle12]

My family who is not that religious at all , usually has a nice big meal in preparation for the fast , besides the usual stuff some ceremonial foods are included like Apples in Honey, as well as pomegranate .
As far as the fasting, well.. they "sorta" fast, they still drink water, and if someone gets really hungry they might grab a little snack ;)

by far one of the goofiest (in my opinion) and i guess least known of traditions of Yom Kippur is the practice of "Kaparot" .
(this is practiced by a pretty small section of Jews)
The best way to explain it is spinning a chicken above your head at high velocities and by doing so "transferring" your sins to the chicken (im not kidding)
This also raises the question as to why a chicken to begin with? and does the chicken become an "evil chicken" with all of your sins transferred to it ?
anyway here is a little video of this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lJxDZbXrsY
I've seen this in Jerusalem actually where 100s of people gather around at one place and well "spin chickens"

Thanks for the info. So this chicken, is it alive? Is it still alive after the chicken spinning?

[Stantz]

Thanks for the info. So this chicken, is it alive? Is it still alive after the chicken spinning?
I think it's done both ways - i personally never had poultry spun around my head in an attempt to have my sins transferred to it . (they would need a massive chicken)
Sometimes the chickens dont quite make it, sometime they are slaughtered ritually.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBszQFz6buA
This video shows the ritual taking place in Brooklyn, NY by 100s of people
WARNING: If you have a problem with chicken blood, chicken guts, dead chickens, chickens being killed or in general a chicken lover, DO NOT watch the 2nd half of the video.

[Mimiheart]

So, the sanctuary itself was WAY too hot... there was a guy in the front row that passed out minutes before one of the rabbis passed out... at the Kol Nidre service. (Yes, water is not only allowed in these situations, it's required.)

I'm at the synagogue all day on Yom Kippur. I get there at 7 and pretty much don't leave until it's all over. (I run home to grab my kids for a children's service, but I don't think that counts.) I end up fasting simply because I won't eat in front of a bunch of people who are fasting, but since we're in a desert (and yesterday was record heat) I will drink.

Anyhow, the synagogue where I work/go to has too many members to do one morning service, so we split it up into two. Just before the second service, a man died--about ten feet away from me. There were a dozen doctors and nurses there, but it must have been his time. The paramedics came, and they were able to create a pulse of some sort to get him out of the sanctuary itself.

It was scary... and I never want to do that during any sort of service again.

[Jacob_Rising]

So, the sanctuary itself was WAY too hot... there was a guy in the front row that passed out minutes before one of the rabbis passed out... at the Kol Nidre service. (Yes, water is not only allowed in these situations, it's required.)

I'm at the synagogue all day on Yom Kippur. I get there at 7 and pretty much don't leave until it's all over. (I run home to grab my kids for a children's service, but I don't think that counts.) I end up fasting simply because I won't eat in front of a bunch of people who are fasting, but since we're in a desert (and yesterday was record heat) I will drink.

Anyhow, the synagogue where I work/go to has too many members to do one morning service, so we split it up into two. Just before the second service, a man died--about ten feet away from me. There were a dozen doctors and nurses there, but it must have been his time. The paramedics came, and they were able to create a pulse of some sort to get him out of the sanctuary itself.

It was scary... and I never want to do that during any sort of service again.So Sorry Mimi, That sounds terrible.

[Harmonious]

First of all, I want to thank everyone for your well-wishes! I do hope you were all inscribed and sealed for a happy, sweet New Year!
When our Jewish friends return after this holy day, maybe they would be so kind as to share how they celebrate this particular holiday.

In the mean time, have a wonderful Yom Kippur!

Yom Kippur is an interesting one. It is a day of judgment, and it is a day of introspection. It is a day of working hard to figure out what sins we've done and to work hard not to do them again. (Even if it only means finding one or two to focus on fixing, the more the merrier.)

For those who can, it is a day of fasting. (Since I became diabetic, I am no longer permitted to fast, ever. My sugars do obnoxious things, becoming either too high or too low, and all I need is for it to bottom out... *sigh*) However, the fasting is supposed to help us focus on the fact that we are supposed to be repenting, returning to God, and resolving to fix at least SOMETHING.

It is a day of communal confessions (the litany of sins listed in alphabetical order, in Hebrew). Even if we didn't commit them personally, we are saying it on behalf of the Jewish people, and most probably someone somewhere did them. And since the collective merit of the community is greater than the sum of its parts, praying on behalf of others is always helpful.

There is a lot of pagaentry that happened during the Temple times, most of it symbolic, but it was impressive to watch. (I practically had to memorize the Mishna Tractate Yoma, where it is described in great detail, when I was in high school, and it stuck with me.) And part of it is pathetically reenacted, pathetic only because of how much we are really missing without the Temple. But we do the best we can with what we have, and that is learning about it, and reciting what the Cohen Gadol would recite at various points over the service.

It is a somber day, as it is a Day of Judgment. But it is also a happy day, as God promised that no matter how angry we make Him, he will always forgive us. Especially, when we try our best to do the right thing.

Between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, Jews are adjured to focus on God's capacity not so much as a God, but as a King and Judge. As a God, we know that God is loving and kind, and merciful. As a King and Judge, God is just, and we pray that God NOT be harsh in His judgment of us.

[RayMan]

It will be a happy one for us. Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary - 30 years !

Good job!

Keep it up.

[gpd®]

Too bad this is the last year of honouring Jews on these days.

I saw Stephen Colbert do a clip on the 700 show.

They said that didn't know how Rosh Hashannah got seperated from Christianity but they are claiming it back.

That's just the start, Christians will be stealing Yom Kippor and Simchat Torah before long and they will just wish each other A Nice Holy day.

Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippor came back with a bang but the return to Sukkot will change the world imo.

I saw the 700 report where the Jewish fellow was comparing Yom Kippor to the forgiveness teaching of Jesus and how Christians and Jews have this "repenting" thing in common.

Couldn't say that I saw the Colbert rebuttal.

[Jacob_Rising]

I saw the 700 report where the Jewish fellow was comparing Yom Kippor to the forgiveness teaching of Jesus and how Christians and Jews have this "repenting" thing in common.

Couldn't say that I saw the Colbert rebuttal.The interesting thing about this story is that the 700 club said that they were reclaiming the Rosh Hashannah and doing this leads to all Holy days.

They said they are going to observe it now, from now on.

So has the 700 club gone to the side of darkness?

Can they go back to the Law and the appointed days?

Yes they can, and they should.

I have seen preacher after preacher come back to God's appointed days but it's nice to see the 700 club do it.

It would have been unheard of and just about sinful to do so just a few years ago.

I'm proud of them.

[gpd®]

The interesting thing about this story is that the 700 club said that they were reclaiming the Rosh Hashannah and doing this leads to all Holy days.

They said they are going to observe it now, from now on.

So has the 700 club gone to the side of darkness?

Can they go back to the Law and the appointed days?

Yes they can, and they should.

I have seen preacher after preacher come back to God's appointed days but it's nice to see the 700 club do it.

It would have been unheard of and just about sinful to do so just a few years ago.

I'm proud of them.

The Bible does say, whatever you do, do it for the Glory of God.

[Jacob_Rising]

The Bible does say, whatever you do, do it for the Glory of God.

Yeah I know but the majority of Christians might say that going back to the days of God's Holy days is to find yourself under the law.

I'm glad they are taking the chance but they will end up offending many people by it.

[Poisonshady313]

The best way to explain it is spinning a chicken above your head at high velocities and by doing so "transferring" your sins to the chicken (im not kidding)
You may not be kidding... but you definitely aren't accurate. It is NOT spun at high velocities... at all. In fact, since you're saying a prayer between each "spin", it's done rather slowly.

anyway here is a little video of this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lJxDZbXrsY Did you even watch the video? Not exactly what I call "high velocities".

I've seen this in Jerusalem actually where 100s of people gather around at one place and well "spin chickens"

I've actually done this, in Brooklyn, where thousands of people gather around at one place and spin chickens.

It might not make a whole lot of sense to you... and people with an affinity for animals might not appreciate it all that much.... however, "goofy" isn't the word for it.

[Poisonshady313]

I think it's done both ways It's not. The chickens are all spun alive. It entirely defeats the purpose and invalidates the process by swinging a dead chicken.

Sometimes the chickens dont quite make it, sometime they are slaughtered ritually. Actually, none of the chickens make it... because they are ALL slaughtered ritually, and prepared for consumption, either for the family of the person who swung the chicken, or for the poor/hungry.

[Harmonious]

Poisonshady inspired me to talk a bit about this. So...


This also raises the question as to why a chicken to begin with? and does the chicken become an "evil chicken" with all of your sins transferred to it ?

The point of this tradition is simply symbolic. In a fashion, for those who do "Kaparot" with a chicken, the idea is that the person waving the chicken in essence, recognizes that perhaps the sinner is deserving of death, but the animal is killed instead of the person. (Not unlike the idea of the goat sent L'azazel, but it is different for a number of reasons.)

One of the biggest differences is that once the sins have been symbolically transferred, the idea is to find some merit in the death of the animal. So, the chicken is slaughtered, and is set up (as Poisonshady explained) to either feed the family that used the chicken, or it is specifically given to the poor or the needy.

There are people who do the same custom, but instead of the chicken, they wave money over their head. Using the idea that the waved item will help the poor and the needy, the idea is symbolically transferring the sin to the method of redemption, as charity is one of the known methods to "tear a harsh decree."

Please believe me when I tell you that no one thinks this waving, whether of chicken or money, ACTUALLY expiates a sin. It is symbolic in its entirety. The whole point of the exercise is to bring home the idea that we have sinned, we are asking God for forgiveness, and we are doing at least one good deed to get us closer to that forgiveness, be it charity, or the kosher preparation of a meal for one's own family.

[Stantz]

You may not be kidding... but you definitely aren't accurate. It is NOT spun at high velocities... at all. In fact, since you're saying a prayer between each "spin", it's done rather slowly.
Did you even watch the video? Not exactly what I call "high velocities".



I've actually done this, in Brooklyn, where thousands of people gather around at one place and spin chickens.

It might not make a whole lot of sense to you... and people with an affinity for animals might not appreciate it all that much.... however, "goofy" isn't the word for it.
you are right, i think a better way to put it is peculiar.

[lwdc]

(Not unlike the idea of the goat sent L'azazel, but it is different for a number of reasons.)Forgive me for the tangent Harmoni, but who or what is Azazel, in your view?

[Poisonshady313]

you are right, i think a better way to put it is peculiar.

Much better.

[Harmonious]

you are right, i think a better way to put it is peculiar.

You are right. And that is a lot more respectful. It is peculiar. I'm not sure that I subscribe to that custom. I don't usually do it on my own. I can sometimes be convinced to do it with money when I'm in the company of other people who are.

I did Kaparot with a chicken when I was in high school. (I went to a Yeshiva high school.) It was an interesting custom to learn. I didn't adopt it.

I think a cooler custom to adopt involves making mint or other spices available for smelling during Yom Kippur, as the blessing over the spice produces the merit for making a benediction, and it revives the spirit of the people who are fasting. (It is a Sephardic custom I've come across in my travels.) I understand that one much more, but I haven't adopted that custom, either.

[Harmonious]

Forgive me for the tangent Harmoni, but who or what is Azazel, in your view?
I don't have a clue. It isn't terribly important to me. That might be the fact that none of my teachers have ever stressed it, so it didn't worry me overly much.

The idea isn't to focus on Azazel, whatever it it. The idea is to focus on L'hashem, "To God."

[byzantine catholic]

Happy Yom Kippur Harmonius!http://forums.hannity.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Harmonious]

Happy Yom Kippur Harmonius!http://forums.hannity.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Thank you kindly. However, now we are getting ready for Sukkot. :D

[lwdc]

I don't have a clue. It isn't terribly important to me. That might be the fact that none of my teachers have ever stressed it, so it didn't worry me overly much.

The idea isn't to focus on Azazel, whatever it it. The idea is to focus on L'hashem, "To God."Understood. Obviously the focus is not, nor should be, on Azazel. I just thought I'd ask what you thought about it.

[Harmonious]

Understood. Obviously the focus is not, nor should be, on Azazel. I just thought I'd ask what you thought about it.

It's a fair question. The answer is that I don't know.

[Hadassah]

To all of our beloved Jewish posters: Shana Tova, Hatima Tova, and may you have Tzom Kal. :hug:







(i waited until now to post this because I wanted to be sure I had the correct words. sorry about that.)

[noelle12]

First of all, I want to thank everyone for your well-wishes! I do hope you were all inscribed and sealed for a happy, sweet New Year!


Yom Kippur is an interesting one. It is a day of judgment, and it is a day of introspection. It is a day of working hard to figure out what sins we've done and to work hard not to do them again. (Even if it only means finding one or two to focus on fixing, the more the merrier.)

For those who can, it is a day of fasting. (Since I became diabetic, I am no longer permitted to fast, ever. My sugars do obnoxious things, becoming either too high or too low, and all I need is for it to bottom out... *sigh*) However, the fasting is supposed to help us focus on the fact that we are supposed to be repenting, returning to God, and resolving to fix at least SOMETHING.

It is a day of communal confessions (the litany of sins listed in alphabetical order, in Hebrew). Even if we didn't commit them personally, we are saying it on behalf of the Jewish people, and most probably someone somewhere did them. And since the collective merit of the community is greater than the sum of its parts, praying on behalf of others is always helpful.

There is a lot of pagaentry that happened during the Temple times, most of it symbolic, but it was impressive to watch. (I practically had to memorize the Mishna Tractate Yoma, where it is described in great detail, when I was in high school, and it stuck with me.) And part of it is pathetically reenacted, pathetic only because of how much we are really missing without the Temple. But we do the best we can with what we have, and that is learning about it, and reciting what the Cohen Gadol would recite at various points over the service.

It is a somber day, as it is a Day of Judgment. But it is also a happy day, as God promised that no matter how angry we make Him, he will always forgive us. Especially, when we try our best to do the right thing.

Between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, Jews are adjured to focus on God's capacity not so much as a God, but as a King and Judge. As a God, we know that God is loving and kind, and merciful. As a King and Judge, God is just, and we pray that God NOT be harsh in His judgment of us.

Thanks, Harmonious, for the information. I am learning so much about the Jewish faith from you and other Jewish posters here. I'm really enjoying it.