The Art Of Feeling Sad

The day comes-

we STOP

and stay still.

Stomachs empty,

bodies unbathed,

souls aching;

our feelings

are the main priority.

The day has arrived-

we ponder

our misdeeds

and ask ourselves,

"How can we fix our ugly errors?"

Our heads are in pain,

energy levels drop down low,

ears are receptive to prayer;

this is true atonement.

The day continues-

it's as long as a labyrinth.

Slowly but surely,

it comes to an end.

No time for amusement,

no time to indulge,

no time to pamper;

it's time to repent.

We feel to improve

ourselves and the world.

That's the art of feeling sad.

What is Yom Kippur?!

Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) is the saddest and holiest of the Jewish holidays. It takes place on the tenth day of the lunar month of Tishrei (during the months of September-October). It's a day when the Jewish people seek forgiveness for the poor choices they've made in the past year. Yom Kippur ends the "ten days of repentence" that start with Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) on the first day of Tishrei.

The point of observing Yom Kippur is to accomplish personal and communal cleansing by the practice of forgiveness of wrongdoings of others and by honest repentence for one's own sins.

During Yom Kippur, the Jewish people spend the whole evening and day in prayer and meditation. On Erev Yom Kippur (the evening before The Day of Atonement), the Kol Nidre (a prayer sung in Jewish synagogues at the start of the service of Erev Yom Kippur) is recited. Besides the recital of Kol Nidre, rituals include readings from the Torah and penitential prayers, the blowing of the shofar (the ram's horn), and the recital of concluding prayers at the end of Yom Kippur. We refrain from eating and drinking as a motivator to reflect and repent. We also refrain from bathing, because we want to save space for contemplation and to mimic death/rebirth. In other words, we concentrate on cleaning ourselves internally, as opposed to externally. We also tend to deny ourselves luxurious objects such as leather clothing, so we don't wear anything that's made from leather or any fancy fabric.

In the middle of the day, congregants come home to take a little break and relax before concluding prayers begin in the evening.

During the evening of the end of Yom Kippur, people return to synagogue for the concluding prayers, and then enjoy a post-fast meal which is typically light and easy to prepare.

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