Area Jews to mark Day of Atonement

Area Jews to mark Day of Atonement
By ASHLEY WOODS Special to The Oakland Press


At sundown tonight, Jews across Oakland County will gather for Yom Kippur (yohm KEEpoor), the holiest of holy days in the Hebrew calendar, also known as the Day of Atonement.
“Every single day, there is a certain level of godliness revealed to the world,” said Rabbi Herschel Finman, of Oak Park. “On the day of Yom Kippur, there is a tremendous revelation of godliness — the most of any day in the year.”
Yom Kippur marks the last day of the High Holidays, also known as the Ten Days of Repentance. The High Holidays began with the celebration of the Hebrew New Year on Rosh Hashana.
“We want to start off the year right, with a clean slate,” said Finman, a rabbi, author and professor.
The Day of Atonement is a solemn holiday, a time for observant Jews to fast, pray and visit synagogue. Some Jews refrain from work or driving cars. But first, they feast.
“As much as there is a commandment to fast throughout Yom Kippur,” said Finman, “there is an equal commandment to eating the day before.”
He said typical foods include bread dipped in honey, fish and kreplach, the Jewish dumpling. All of these foods symbolize some aspect of the Jewish faith.
“With a kreplach, the noodle is on the outside, but the really delicious part is on the inside. The Almighty, like the meat within the kreplach, is hidden from us. But, inside of us, lies the best part.”
Robert Brown, a board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council who lives in West Bloomfield Township, said his family will attend services tonight to celebrate the eve of Yom Kippur.
Kol Nidre, or “all vows,” is a prayer recited in Aramaic at the beginning of the Yom Kippur evening service. The service takes the form of a legal proceeding. Observant men don the tallit, a four-cornered prayer garment.
“In order to forgive the vows that you may have taken to God, or promises that you wish to annul, you have to go before a court to annul that,” he said.
After reciting the Kol Nidre prayer, Brown and his family return to their home.
“We don’t do much else, but sleep, meditate and spend time together as a family, discussing our plans for the upcoming year and how we will continue to dedicate ourselves to our faith.”
Many Jews return to synagogue Saturday for more services.
Todd Mendel, president of the Jewish Community Relations Council and a resident of Birmingham, said the time in synagogue is “humbling and serious.”
“You ask yourself how you did last year. Were you a good person or a bad person? Did you seek forgiveness from those whom you wronged?”
Mendel, a father of three, said his children all participate in the holiday.
“My oldest kid is now at a point where she has fasted for the past few years. She attends about half of the services.”
He acknowledged that, for younger children, a day of fasting and prayer may be adapted.
“My younger children attend maybe a quarter of the services. And they observe a modified fast.”
The idea of not eating or drinking on a holiday may seem strange to non-Jews, but Rabbi Finman said fasting is an integral aspect of Yom Kippur. “It’s the only biblically mandated fast day,” said Finman. “The tone is not one of negativity. It’s expected of us that we do the commandments joyously.”
Mitchell Wagner, a program associate for the Hillel Organization of Metro Detroit, said he fasts so he can concentrate on his personal faith.
“Not eating is going to allow me to focus on the past year, atone for my sins, ask God for forgiveness and also to ask my fellow humans for forgiveness.”
When his family gathers at sundown Saturday night to break their fast, he said, “We typically eat breakfast foods, like bagels and lox and blintzes.”
Mendel said Yom Kippur is a day of reflection.
“How many times during the year do you sit down, and call a time-out? And not do anything, except ask yourself, ‘How did I do with people, and with the relationships in my life? How did I treat my family? How did I treat my friends?’” he said.
Wagner said he believes the fate of the upcoming year is decided during the 10 days of the High Holidays.
“It’s said that the Book of Life is being written by God. God is deciding, in the next year, who will live, and who will die. Who will grow wealthy, and who will suffer. He’s asking, who will endure the challenges of the coming year?” he explained.
“On Rosh Hashana,” Wagner added, “the Book of Life is written. And, on Yom Kippur, the Book of Life is sealed.”