Hot answers tagged yom-kippur
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The walls of the sukkah can be constructed anytime you want; you can even leave them up all year, if you're so inclined. (There are even people who have retractable roofs on their houses, so that their sukkah is their dining room or bedrooms or whatever.)
The sechach (plant material used for the roof of the sukkah) is a different story. You can put it up ...
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R' Joseph B. Soloveitchik's understanding of Ne'ila, which I saw in the Machzor Mesoras Harav, is that it's a uniquely dependent prayer whose purpose is to ask God to accept all the other prayers we've engaged in over Yom Kippur. He was confident enough in this understanding that he proposed a practical Halachic outcome: If someone happened to miss all four ...
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Taz (Orach Chaim 618:10) and Magen Avraham (618:10) cite variant opinions as to whether Yaaleh Veyavo needs to be recited (and also Retzeh, if Yom Kippur falls on Shabbos). According to the Taz neither one should be said, while according to Magen Avraham it is better to add them.
Pri Megadim (Eshel Avraham 618:10) adds that in any case, if one did omit ...
10
Please see "The Segal Guide to Fasting For Yom Kippur (from a Medical Perspective)," written by a physician. The very first point he deals with is the thirst issue you raised.
Hope you have a successful and meaningful fast this year!
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Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (131:1) states:
ואל יחשוב האדם שזוהי כפרתו ממש, אלא יחשב כי כל מה שעושין בעוף הזה, היה
ראוי לבוא עליו בעונותיו. ויתאונן על חטאיו, והקדוש-ברוך-הוא ברחמיו יקבל
תשובתו.
A person should not think, however, that this ceremony itself actually atones for him. On the contrary, [he should look at the ceremony as symbolic in nature, ...
9
You are right as to the reason why we don't have two days of Yom Kippur is because it is dangerous and we don't decree on people decrees that they can't handle.
As to the other two, see 9 Days of Chanukah?
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The Mazal Sha'ah on the Rambam infers that the shi'ur l'chayyev for anointing with t'rumah oil is a k'zayis, based on R' Yehudah's opinion in the gemara (K'risus 6b) who holds that a person is liable for a k'zayis of prohibited anointing with the shemen hamishchah (Commentary to Mishneh Torah, Hil. T'rumos 10:2). (One should note that it is still Biblically ...
8
This may not exactly answer your question, but Sharei Teshuva (as well as Rambam) brings 24 categories that impede teshuva:
One who frequently spreads Rechilus (slanderer)
One who regularly speaks Lashon Hara (Gossiper)
One who gets angry quickly
One whose bad (impure) thoughts control him
Being connected to a rasha (evildoer)
Taking from food that isn't ...
8
From a personal perspective, I have found that the easiest fasts I have had, came when Yom Kippur was on a Monday, and Sunday morning I did a 3-4 hour run (training for a fall marathon).
My theory is that knowing how dumb an idea it is to do a 3-4 hour run, mere hours before a 25 hour fast, I try to compensate by drinking the rest of the day, every 10-20 ...
7
As far as I know (there may be variant customs):
In Aleinu: kneel at כורעים, prostrate (head and hands to the ground, while still kneeling - essentially, a fetal position) at ומשתחוים, stay that way until הקדוש ברוך הוא, and then get up.
In the Avodah: kneel at כורעים, prostrate at ומשתחוים, and stay that way until לעולם ועד.
[In all cases, if it's a ...
7
See this article from Rabbi Brody.
Basically there are two opinions about yom kippur shoes. One is that anything non-leather is fine. The other is that they should also be not-too-cushiony. While the former seems to be common practice, the latter is cited as a good practice by many poskim.
So there are three possibilities about crocs:
They are ...
7
The Magen Avraham gives two reasons:
The Lvush says the reason is because Avinu Malkeinu is parallel to the middle blessings, which we don't say on Shabbos. The Magen Avrahom says this reason doesn't explain not saying Avinu Malkeinu Friday afternoon though.
Because we are not allowed to ask for material needs on Shabbos. The Shaar Hakolel writes that ...
7
This custom is mentioned in the Shulchan Aruch (OC 610:1). It is supposed to serve as a reminder to avoid marital relations on Yom Kippur. It is common to allow at least some light into the bedroom: see "The Laws of Lighting Candles for Yom Kippur" by R' Yosef Zimbal.
7
Nitey Gavriel (Yom Kippur Perek 20 Sif 19) writes that many have the custom not to whip on Erev Yom Kippur. He cites as a source Kaf HaChaim (O.C. 607:40) who claims that Erev Yom Kippur is considered a Yom Tov and we do not give lashes on Yom Tov. The Nitey Gavriel notes that this is the prevelant custom in Zitshov, Tshernobil, Gur and Amshinov.
6
According to Halacha (Orthodox Jewish Law) you may build the Sukkah from 30 days prior to the Yom Tov. If it was made more than 30 days before the holiday, and you do not have in mind that it is being made for Succos, all you got to do is remove some Sechach and replace it and have in mind that it is for Succos and then it is Kosher. If it was put up anytime ...
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The source for Birnbaum's account is Shibbolei Haleket, citing a Geonic teshuvah (and quoted from there in Otzar Hageonim to Megillah 23b). The king is named there as יוזגרד - i.e., Yezdegerd (II) of Persia (ruled 438-457), although there's no mention of spies being there for part of davening and then leaving - on the contrary, the Gaon writes that the ...
6
Based on the ArtScroll Machzor's introduction to Kol Nidrei:
When Rabbah bar bar Chanah arrived at the site of Har Sinai, he heard a Divine voice proclaim: "Woe is me that I have sworn! But now that I have sworn, who will annul my oath?" (Bava Basra 74a) The Rashbam comments that HaShem looks for grounds to annul his oath not to end the exile (ibid.).
The ...
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Based on Shulchan Aruch Harav, Section 624:4 - 624:5.
Just like on Shabbos, after Yom Kippur we make a Bracha on fire since we were not permitted to use fire before, and it is like a new entity to us.
After Shabbos we may use new fire because this is how fire was initially brought into the world after Shabbos Adam took two stones and made fire and made the ...
6
Rambam, Hil. Avodas Yom Hakippurim 1:3 (from Yoma 12a-b):
זה שנכנס תחתיו אינו צריך חינוך אלא עבודתו מחנכתו
"The one who replaces him doesn't need any inauguration; his performing the avodah [of Yom Kippur, which is reserved for the kohen gadol] inaugurates him."
So he doesn't need anointing at that time (and not after Yom Kippur either, because as ...
5
Check the prayers found in most Machzors before Kol Nidrei; here it is from this one (conjugated in the plural, but I'm used to seeing it in the singular; emphasis added):
I hereby absolutely forgive anyone who has harmed me, other than money I can still claim by law, or those who harm me figuring that I'll forgive them. Other than those, I completely ...
5
Firstly, I don't think people make food muktza for Yom kippur since they need it for children. (inedibles like raw chicken would be just like shabbos).
As far as food being asur, the Mishna Berura 308:170 quotes "poskim" that an object's muktza status depending on the owner is only when the object is rejected because of its poor quality, but if someone ...
5
Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 259:1) says that even if you say (as you do in kapparos) "this money shall go to tzedakah," you're allowed to exchange it. So, "spooky ritual" or not, it would seem that it should be fine to exchange that money for other money; at most, you would have to make a verbal declaration of the exchange (like you do when you redeem maaser ...
5
Yom Kippur -- they realized that most people can't handle a 48-hr fast, so they didn't enact it.
Purim and Chanukah -- came much later in history, and aren't "no-work" holidays. Never mind they're entirely of post-Mosaic origins, which means we're more lenient with them in cases of doubt.
5
The Rema (Orach Chayyim 624:5 and 625:1) quotes the Maharil's customs to start building the sukkah the night after Yom Kippur, to go from mitzvah to mitzvah; the following day, to build it completely, so as not to delay an available mitzvah.
This is a custom from the Ashkenazi world regarding the ideal time to build the sukkah, but the sukkah is certainly ...
5
Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 610:4) mentions it only for Yom Kippur, as part of the minhag to wear white so as to resemble the angels. That reason indeed only applies on Yom Kippur, when we also are like the angels in not eating and drinking, standing during much of the services, saying Baruch Shem out loud, etc.
Those who wear it on Rosh Hashanah too do so ...
5
Mishna B'rura 622:5 (in my own free translation) explains the Rama's ruling that it's not said with the following explanation:
That's because on Shabas it's said to complete the discrepancy of 100 b'rachos, which is not necessary on Yom Kipur due to the plethora of praises we say. The make-up of the k'tores also needn't be said, as it's included in the ...
5
Rambam (Seder Tefillos Mikol Hashanah) calls it מנהג פשוט, a widespread custom, to say these paragraphs (his version is different than ours, but it's recognizable). So it doesn't sound like it goes back to the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah; perhaps it's from the Geonim. (It appears in Siddur R. Amram Gaon, but there are lots of later interpolations there, so I ...
5
The Chabad custom is to strike one's chest when saying the word "חיבים" in the last section of the Al Chet. It is mentioned in Sefer HaSichos of the Friediker Rebbe 5705 page 9 (my own translation):
The Chosid R' Aba Person once asked the Rebbe Maharash how many times one strikes his chest on Yom Kippur. From the number he answered, R' Aba Person ...
4
Many answers given.
The even balance was for 5770; any further good deeds are already on the 5771 sheet. Only way to fix the 5770 sheet is to regret and repent wrongdoings from 5770. (This likely ties in with a view attributed to R' Ahron Kotler discussed here.)
The season is so supportive of repentance (dirshu Hashem behimatz'o), that to not repent ...
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