Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-04
|YOM KIPPUR OBSERVANCE
LOCAL HEBREWS TO CELEBRATE
ATONEMENT DAY.
Begins at Shutdown This Evening
and Closes Tomorrow Evening.
Special Services.

From shutdown this evening until sun
down tomorrow evening the Jews will OBJ
serve the Day of Atonenent, known
among Hebrews as the Sabbath OF Sab
baths" the hottest day on the Jewish
calendar. 1t is called Yom kippur and
| ends the ten days of special religious ex-
| ultation beginning with the Hebrew New
Year. In all the local Hebrew synagogues
| there will be special commemorative serv-
| ices.
The orthodox conception Of this holy
day is that it was instituted under divine
guidance by the law-giver Moses, and this
| view is based on those portions in the BIZ
BILE that relate to the observance Oh
Atonement day Modern scholars assert
that the institution of the day began with
! the Prophet Ezekiel. and that the biblical
| passages bearing on ii found IN that por-
| ton of the Bible known TO modern biblical
critics as the Priestly Code are simply
| an elaboration of the work of Ezekiel and
| others whose aim was the restoration OF
| the Hebraic Sacrficlai cult.
The distinguishing feature of the Day OF
Atonement has always been the total alb
staining from food. Among the orthodox
Hebrews the fast is vigorously observed
| by the adults. A boy having reached his
| thirteenth year and formally received III
| the faith must scrupulously observe the
| fast like his elders, while younger chill
| dren are expected to fast half the day.
| AS the Hebrew day is from evening 10
evening, a strict fast on the Day OF
| AtOnement Is to abstain absolutely from
| food and drink for twenty-four hours.
Among reform Jews, likewise. fasting
| forms feature of the Day of Atonement
| celebration, though 1t is more generally
confined to the older generation.
According to the traditions of the Bible
| and the Talmud. the ritual on the Day OF
Atonement when the temple was in exist
ence and the Hebrews formed a HER
archy was most elaborate. The high
priest, after many publications, sacrifices
and offerings Of incense reached the eli
max of the elaborate service when he en-
tered the Holy of Holes, the only time in
| the year when the priest performed the
solemn ceremony. Since the dispersion OF
the Hebrews the Day of AtOnement has
been celebrated by an elaborate cere-
monial of prayer. readings from Scrip
| ture and solemn meditatiOns
The idea underlying this holy day OF
| the Hebrews is that sins are forgiven by
sincere repentance, by firmly resolving to
| lead a better life and by earnest petitions
| to God for guidance and grace. The bib
| lical scheme of atonement for sin was de-
pendent upon the sacriffcial system. In
the later and maturer development of Jul
daism this was Supplanted by an inward
process; instead of sacrifices there came
| the necessity of fervent prayer and sin
cere repentance.
| The ritual for the Day of Atonement
used even now, whether in the orthodox
or reform synagogues, is a result OF the
pous efforts of Hebrew sages stretched
! over period of nearly 1000 years. Its
| best portions are the work of Jehuda
| Halevi. Solomon Ibu Gabirol and Mach
| manides. great sages of Israel, who flour
| ished in the middle ages.