Yom Kippur | eteacherhebrew newsletter

eTeacherHebrew Official Newsletter

Issue #127 - 09/11

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Yom Kippur

Shalom friends,

Ten days after the beginning of the Jewish year Jewish people experience the holiest day of the year – Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר, Day of Atonement). According to Jewish tradition, God inscribes each person's fate for the coming year into a book, the Book of Life (סֵפֶר הַחַיִּים, Sefer HaXaim), on Rosh Hashanah, and waits until Yom Kippur to "seal" the verdict. During the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, a Jew tries to amend his or her behavior and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against God and against other human beings. On Yom Kippur, the entire day is spent fasting and praying for God’s forgiveness and a good year.

The Torah calls the day Yom HaKippurim (יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים) and commands not to work on that day, and to afflict our souls.

"בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ תְּעַנּוּ אֶת נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם, וְכָל מְלָאכָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ הָאֶזְרָח וְהַגֵּר הַגָּר בְּתוֹכְכֶם. כִּי בַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יְכַפֵּר עֲלֵיכֶם, לְטַהֵר אֶתְכֶם מִכֹּל חַטֹּאתֵיכֶם, לִפְנֵי ה' תִּטְהָרוּ." (ויקרא ט"ז, כ"ט-ל')

“In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and shall do no manner of work, the home-born, or the stranger that sojourneth among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins shall ye be clean before the LORD.” (Leviticus 16:29-30)

In order for us to "afflict our souls" Jewish people abstain from food and drink, do not wash or anoint our bodies, do not wear leather shoes, and abstain from marital relations during Yom Kippur.

Maurycy Gottlieb, Jews praying in the synagogue, 1878

On the days preceding Yom Kippur a blessing for good inscription in the Book of Life is added to the blessing of Shana Tova (good year):

שָׁנָה טוֹבָה וּגְמַר חֲתִימָה טוֹבָה,

Shana Tova uGmar Xatima Tova

Have a Good Year and May you be inscribed (in the Book of Life) for Good

שִׁירָה כֹּהֵן-רֶגֶב

Shira Cohen-Regev

Hebrew teacher @ eTeacherHebrew

Yom Kippur Hebrew Words

סְלִיחָה Transcription: slixa Literal Meaning: forgiveness, sorry
תְּפִלָּה Transcription: tefila Literal Meaning: prayer
צוֹם Transcription: tsom Literal Meaning: fast

Yom Kippur Story

Many Jewish stories were told by the students of the Besht, the Ba'al Shem Tov who was the founder of the Hassidic movement. In one story, his students joined the Rabbi on an unexpected trip to a faraway village. They were surprised when the Ba’al Shem Tov asked to stop the horses next to the local pub. The pub owner came out to greet them but looked terrified when his eyes met the Rabbi’s eyes.

“Rabbi! I have sinned! I thought that no one would know, but you did!” The pub owner broke into tears and seemed all upset, but the Rabbi asked him calmly to tell him what had happened.

The pub owner told the righteous that he was the only Jew in his village. He served all the Goyim (non-Jewish people) to earn his living. He was praying by himself during the year but every Yom Kippur he rode to the big city to pray in the synagogue.

That year, he was riding to town on Yom Kippur eve, but on his way he realized that he forgot to lock his cellar door. He was afraid that the Goyim would enter his cellar, take everything and even make the remaining wine forbidden for other Jews. He calculated the time and figured that he could return home, lock the cellar and arrive back in town before sunset.

When he arrived at his pub, the Land Owner met him at the door congratulating him for opening the pub when his throat felt dry for brandy. He had to serve the Land Owner praying for him to finish drinking quickly. But, as he was drinking, more and more Goyim flooded the pub wishing to buy more and more liquor, and he couldn’t shut the door in their faces.

When the last guess finally left the pub, the pub owner looked at his watch and realized that he would not be able to arrive to the synagogue before Yom Kippur. What could he do? Never before had he spent this day on his own; he had no prayer book and he didn’t know the prayers by heart. He trembled in fear and excitement and opened his mouth with a sudden and personal pray: “Master of the Universe, Merciful and Gracious God, you know the thoughts and feelings of human hearts; you know that I deeply want to pray now in the synagogue with my soul brothers. I don’t know how to pray, I don’t have a prayer book, please accept the only prayer I can give you now as I want to confess and ask for a good and sweet year.”

The only words he knew in the Hebrew language were the Hebrew Alef-Bet. Tearfully he recited the letters and asked God: “Please accept these letters, Master of the Universe! You can make the right words and intentions out of them. Please, give me a good year!”

As the pub owner completed his story he told the Rabbi: “I am sure you’re here as you know my sin! I know I was doing wrong! Please, show me the way to repentance.”

The eyes of the Ba’al Shem Tov were beamed and he was smiling with gratification. “Don’t worry,” he said warmly, “your prayer was the purest and most innocent one that was offered to God in many years!”

Hebrew Prayer

	On Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and on the Ten Days of Repentance the prayer Avinu Malkenu recited. This deep and moving prayer is presented here in its Ashkenazi version.
	AVINU MALKENU	אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ

Our Father, our King Be compassionate to us and answer us, Our Father, our King Be compassionate to us and answer us, for we have no deeds.	Avinu malkenu Xonenu va’anenu; Avinu malkenu Xaonenu va’anenu Ki eyn banu ma’asim.	אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ חָנֵּנוּ וַעֲנֵנוּ; אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ חָנֵּנוּ וַעֲנֵנוּ כִּי אֵין בָּנוּ מַעֲשִׂים.
Grant us charity and benevolence Grant us charity and benevolence and redeem us.	Ase imanu tsadaka vaxesed Ase imanu tsadak vaxesed Vehoshi’enu.	עֲשֵׂה עִמָּנוּ צְדָקָה וָחֶסֶד עֲשֵׂה עִמָּנוּ צְדָקָה וָחֶסֶד וְהושִׁיעֵנוּ.

You can listen to this prayer and follow the notes in the Zemereshet site.

Yom Kippur WordSearch

In the following WordSearch you can check the Hebrew you learned in this Newsletter. If you mark all the Yom-Kippur related words, you will uncover a very special Hebrew prayer in the remaining letters:

Yom Kippur WordSearch

Hebrew Names

בְּרָכָה
Name:	Bracha (Berachah)
Gender:	Girl
Meaning:	A girl's name (in the Bible: a boy's name). Greeting, wish; prayer; blessing.
History:	Berachah was one of King David's heros.
Citation:	"Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag... The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite, and Jeziel, and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth, and Berachah, and Jehu the Antothite." 1 Chronicles 12, 1-3

חַיִּים
Gender:	Boy
Meaning:	Life.

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