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Yom Kippur Cultural Experience Report

            The beauty of cultural diversity lies in understanding varied cultural practices and at best experiencing foreign cultural practices in the aspect of diversified unity. For my cultural experience, I took interest in a religious service or practice of the Judaism religion – Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, traditionally observed with whole day of soul affliction through fasting and prayer in the synagogue services. Yom Kippur the day after the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and on the day, Jews ask God for forgiveness of their sins. Jewish anthology reveals that the day marks the end of forty days of deep soul searching with focus on reclaiming spiritual purity and insight and be separated from the soul’s beclouding sins of the previous year. The underlying belief is that on the day of the Yom Kippur, the High Priest cleanses the Sanctuary or synagogue of all the defiling of sins committed and repented through sacrifices in the past year (Philip 7). This paper is an explorative experience report I had in learning about this Jewish ceremony.

            From a primer on Yom Kippur (https://youtu.be/4oqBzg8wCUg), by the BibBam community, the day is described as the day in which most Jews visit the synagogue. Before the day, amends are made and people ask for forgiveness from family and friends. The kinds of fasting of the day include no eating, no wearing of leather, no sex, among others, the kind of fasting influenced by the writings of Prophet Isaiah. Confession starts with recital of Vidui and leaders start with chanting of Levitical laws as outlined in Jewish torah (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9dwPADN4ss&feature=youtu.be). The other metaphor of the Jewish torah is that the names being written in the book of life are then sealed at its end and all participants declared pure of past sins, an aspect of imparted righteousness, at the conclusion of Neilah. At the end of the Yom Kippur, Jews gather to break the fast in joyous celebrations.

            I found various aspects of Yom Kippur interesting, but what stands out is the belief that on this day, there is an atonement for every repentant soul. That in deep soul searching and sorrowing for sins of the past year, and in the repentance, sin is completely wiped from the synagogue and the Law (the two tablets) is renewed in the hearts of the believers. An imagination of waking up with fresh account of sin records and a sealed name in the book of life must be indeed spiritually refreshing for these believers and truly worthwhile. It is no wonder that the day is always looked up to with unrivaled anticipation in the Jewish calendar.

            The snippet view of the case where chicken are slaughtered after confessing sins over them (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9dwPADN4ss&feature=youtu.be) is especially emotive, as can be seen in the weeping kid. Verily, the ritual has underlying aspects of emotion in its core, with the foundational affliction of the soul. Moreover, socio-historical analysis as a tool has been utilized in interpreting the Yom Kippur practice as it is based on the history of Judaism, the aspects of referring to forefathers in both footages indicate recollection of historical knowledge defined in the practice. Also, ethnography as a tool is utilized in interpreting Yom Kippur as Jewish allegiance stands out in all the Yom Kippur videos.

            Conclusively, experience of the Yom Kippur service and the piousness with which Judaism is practiced, with a specific reference of this day, has influenced my life and redefined my view. The intricacy of the substance of faith does, surely, not need semantics.