Dear All, This year, Yom Kippur runs from teh evening of Sunday, Sept 27 through the evening of Monday, Sept 28.  Jews commemorate the 10 Days of Awe starting with Rosh Hashanah & ending on Yom Kippur with the final blasts of the Shofar (ram's horn).  While we had said at the New Year, May you be written in teh Book of Life for a good year, we now say, May you be sealed in the Book of Life.  The idea is that people righteous in G-d's eyes were written in teh Book of Life early on, on Rosh Hashanah, but for the majority of us, we need to wait until our penitence, prayer, & giving to charity towards Yom Kippur before we can be sealed in the Book.  During the Days of Awe, Hashem (the L-rd) passes judment on every creature of all types, animals,plants, & people.  As to those who will die during the ensuing year, tehre is a very famous prayer that expresses how they will die, "who by fire, who by water," & so forth.

The evening of Yom Kippur (that segues into the day of YK), our service is called Kol Nidre.  That translates to "all vows."  We achieve redemption from any vows that we may make IN THE YEAR TO COME.  We have to do penitence, prayer, & giving fo charity -- involving gaining forgiveness from anyone whom we may have hurt -- in order to surmount vows that we made in the past year.  We also have to pray very hard to G-d that He forgive us from the vows that we had made to him in the preceding year.

Yom Kippur is the "Shabbat of Shabbats," the holiest day in our Jewish year.  People in good health, starting with those who have been Bar or Bat Mitzvahs (aged 13 generally) fast including not drinking water for 25 hours.  Since I have diabetes insipidus (a water-imbalance disease), I am not allowed to fast, which always makes me feel guilty.  People also do not have ***, bathe, or wear leather shoes.

I hasten to add that different denominations of Jews (haredim, Ultra-Orthodox, Torah-true, Modern Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructive, Humanistic, & maybe some would add Messaihonic) have their own views.  Mine are Conservative.  Here are some common questions.

1.  Why no leather shoes?  It is considered that in ancient times, only the rich could afford leather, so we debase ourselves by wearing rubber or canvas or plastic shoes.  At all other times, leather can be worn at shul/synagogue.

2.  Why no bathing?  This is another pleasurable activity that is denied on this most sacred fast day.  Indeed, water can be used only for necessary teeth-brushing, for bathroom hand-washing, & for swallowing pills deemed necessary for life, by a Rabbi.

3.  There are 2 meals associated with Yom Kippur -- the one before the fast, & the one Breaking the Fast.  The one before the fast starts with soup generally to keep a full feeling, eschews salt to reduce thirst, & is generally a meat meal.  Breaking the fast is generally a fish & dairy meal, & while Jews go home to tehir own Breaking the Fast meals, the initial meal is generally eaten at the synagogue.  To avoid stomach troubles, teh total eaten at the 2 Break the Fast meals is kept light -- one has to transition to full eating on the next day.

I have just scratched the surface of explaining this holy day.  I'm all ears for questions.  Yours in HIm, Deb