Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement and is the most important day of the
Jewish people. On this day there will be no work, some with fast from
food and water and some will attend synagogue (Jewish Temple). It is
the day to atone for the sins of the past year against another person
and to reconcile with those people they have wronged, this is to all
to be done during the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It
is a customary to wear white which symbolizes purity. Why do we fast
on this important day? The Torah (Jewish Bible) commands us to
"afflict" or de-emphasize the body and to spend this day
completely spiritual. This Day of Atonement is on the 9th of October
10 days after Rosh Hahanah.

"In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict
your souls, and you shall not do any work ... For on that day he
shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins
before the L-RD." -Leviticus 16:29-30

Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah

Rosh
Hashanah is one the High Holy Days of the Jewish people. Rosh
Hashanah is the Jewish New Year where Jews ask friends, family and
God for forgiveness and for the mistakes made in the past year and
that they will try to improve themselves for the oncoming year. But
before we can ask for God's forgiveness we must ask the forgiveness
of the people that we have wronged. The Jewish New Year starts at sun
down where Jews will get together and eat apples dipped in honey
which symbolizes for a sweeter New Year, and the blowing of the
Shofar. The shofar is a ram horn and it is blown much like a
trumpet and over 100 notes are heard when the shofar is blown
properly. It is considered a honor to blow the shofar, in biblical
times the blowing of the shofar announced important events like
holidays, new moons, and preparation for war. This Rosh Hashanah is
on the 30th of September this year. The Jewish New Years are not the
same as the Gregorian calendar because the Jewish calendar is not
based on the years after the death of Christ, therefore the year is
5768. And on this day you are to say "Shana Tova" which
means

"For
a good year"

"...In
the seventh month, on the first of the month, there shall be a
Sabbath for you, a remembrance with shofar blasts, a holy
convocation." -Leviticus 16:24