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Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, falls ten days after Rosh Hashanah. When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, the High Priest effected atonement for the entire people through an elaborate ritual. Today, in the absence of the Temple, each of us stands, alone, together, naked as it were, before God. Yom Kippur is the dramatic culmination of the entire season of teshuvah, repentance. On Yom Kippur, Jews abstain from eating, drinking, bathing, sexual relations, and the wearing of leather (a sign of luxury) for 25 hours. Jews dress in white and traditionally spend most of the day in synagogue.

Latest Rituals

“We have abstained from uncomfortable growth”

a protest, several people are wearing masks and someone is holding a cardboard sign that says "END SYSTEMIC RACISM"

Confession of positive behaviors

a person with long hair and a yellow flowing dress sits in a field with closed eyes and an outstretched arm

“We take for granted that we have food to eat”

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Shekhinah, our Mother, would understand”

a person wearing a long white dress and bracelet stands in a shallow, murky body of water

A journey of art making, writing, and meditation

a white bird flies through the sky

Guide for a nature-based Yom Kippur ritual in solitude

a dirt path surrounded by trees

“I am forgiven because I dance”

silhouette of a person with outstretched arms in the middle of a field

“He inhaled, then in motion / began slowly, chanting”

a black and white photo of a long sanctuary lined with a second story of benches

“Avinu Malkeinu, open our hearts”

a protest with a person holding up a fist and in the other hand a sign that says "WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS"

“Sweeping the leaves out of the drain, I think of change …”

a layer of orange leaves

The Reconstructionist Network

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The Reconstructionist Network