SERVICE FOR THE DAY OF ATONEMENT
Revised English Edition by Simon Glazer
1935
From Passover in the East, 40 Jubilees of years ago, to the High Holy Days in our time.
YOM KIPPUR, 2003
THE DAY OF ATONEMENT
ISRAEL HITS SYRIA
Holy Day Raid
JERUSALEM__On the eve of the anniversary of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Israel staged its first airstrike on Syria in 30 years -- dropping 1,000-pound bombs on what the army called an Islamic Jihad training base. The attack on the Ein Saheb camp, 14 miles northwest of Damascus, came a day after an Islamic Jihad suicide bomber killed 19 people at a restaurant in Haifa and brought swift condemnation from the Arab world. "It can drag the whole region into a circle of violence," warned Jordaian Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher. Britain's United Nations ambassador called Israel's actions "unacceptable."
Describing the attack as a "grave escalation" of Mideast tensions, Syria turned to the United Nations demanding -- and being granted -- an emergency meeting of the Security Council...
The chilling circle of events seems eerily appropriate, given that the Yom Kippur war has been haunting Israelis for decades...The Israeli attack happened a day before the 30th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. On October 6, 1973, on the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, Egypt and Syria staged a surprise attack on Israel. ome 2,700 Israeli soldiers were killed.
SERVICE FOR THE DAY OF ATONEMENT
Revised English Edition by Simon Glazer
1935
From Passover in the East, 40 Jubilees of years ago, to the High Holy Days in our time.
Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end...(Deuteronomy 32:29).
If one atones for himself, this is to be said Three times:
This is my change, this is my redemption. This (offering) is going to be killed, and I shall be admitted and allowed a long, happy, and peaceful life.
Soon after the atonement is made, he shall give up the (offering) to the slaughterers, to be slaughtered...
If one atones for a pregnant woman, he shall say this:
These are your changes, these are your compensation, these are your redemptions. These (offerings) are going to be killed, while you shall be admitted and allowed a long, happy and peaceful life.
Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Thy dominion endureth THROUGHOUT ALL GENERATIONS...
They Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him, TO ALL THAT CALL UPON HIM IN TRUTH.O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God and God of our fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, the Great, Mighty, and Revered God, who bestoweth loving kindness AND POSSESSEST ALL THINGS; who remeberest the pious deeds of the patriarchs, and in love wilt bring a redeemer to their children's children for Thy Name's sake....
Thou sustainest with lovingkindness, QUICKENETH THE DEAD WITH GREAT MERCY, supportest the falling, healest the sick, loosest the bound, and keepeth faith to them that sleep in the dust. WHO IS LIKE UNTO THEE. LORD OF MIGHTY ACTS, AND WHO RESEMBLETH THEE, O KING, WHO KILLEST AND QUICKENETH, AND CAUSETH SALVATION TO SPRING FORTH...
Thou favorest man with Knowledge (true Da'at), and teachest mortals Understanding. O favor us with Knowledge, Understanding and Discernment from Thee. Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, gracious Giver of Knowledge.
CAUSE US TO RETURN, O FATHER, UNTO THY LAW; draw us near, O our King unto Thy service, AND BRING US BACK IN PERFECT REPENTANCE UNTO THY PRESENCE. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who delightest in repentance.
When the Reader repeats the "amidah" the following is said:
We will sanctify Thy Name in the world even as they sanctify it in the Highest heavens, as it is written by the hand of Thy prophet:
And they called to one another and said,
Congregation__Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: THE WHOLE EARTH IS FULL OF HIS GLORY. Those over against them say blessed.
Congregation__Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place.
Reader__And in Thy holy Words it is written, saying,
Congregation__The Lord shall reign for ever, thy God, O ZION, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.
Reader__Unto all generations we will declare Thy greatness, and to all eternity we will proclaim Thy holiness, and Thy praise, O our God, shall not depart from our mouth forever, for Thou art a great and holy God and King. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the Holy King.
Forgive us, O our Father, for we have sinned; pardon us, O our King, for we have transgressed; for thou dost pardon and forgive. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who art gracious, and dost abundantly forgive...
Sound the Great Horn for our freedom; lift up the ensign to gather our exiles, AND GATHER US FROM THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTH. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who gathereth the banished ones of Thy people Israel...
And for slanderers let there be no hope, and let all wickedness perish as in a moment; let all Thine enemies be speedily cut off, and the dominion of arrogance do thou Uproot and crush, cast down and humble speedily in our days. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who breakest the enemies and humblest the arrogant...
AND TO JERUSALEM, THY CITY, return in mercy, and dwell therein as Thou hast spoken; REBUILD IT SOON IN OUR DAYS AS AN EVERLASTING BUILDING, AND SPEEDILY SET UP THEREIN THE THRONE OF DAVID...
BLESSED ART THOU, O LORD, WHO REBUILDEST JERUSALEM.
Speedily cause the offspring of David, thy servant, to flourish, and let his horn be exalted by Thy salvation, because we wait for Thy salvation all the day. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who causest the Horn of salvation to flourish...(1 Samuel 2:1-10; 2 Samuel 22).
Christianity as a religion is about to conclude. (Romans, chapter 11, KJV)
Our God and God of our fathers, let our prayer come before Thee; Hide not thyself from our supplication, for we are not arrogant and stiff necked, that we should say before Thee, O Lord our God and God of our fathers, we are righteous and have not sinned (and that you did not know what you were doing with the last 2,000 years of human history); but verily, we have sinned.
We have trespassed, we have been faithless, we have robbed, we have spoken basely, we have committed iniquity, we have wrought unrighteousness, we have been presumptuous, WE HAVE DONE VIOLENCE, we have forged lies, we have counseled evil, we have spoken falsely, we have scoffed, we have revolted, we have blasphemed, we have been rebellious, we have acted perversely, we have transgressed, we have persecuted, we have been stiff-necked, we have done wickedly, we have corrupted ourselves, we have committed abomination, WE HAVE GONE ASTRAY, AND WE HAVE LED ASTRAY.
WE HAVE TURNED ASIDE FROM THY COMMANDMENTS AND GOOD JUDGMENTS, AND IT HATH PROFITED US NOUGHT. But Thou art righteous in all that has come upon us; for thou hast acted truthfully, but we have wrought unrighteousness.
What shall we say before Thee, O Thou who dwellest on high, and what shall we recount unto thee, Thou who abidest in the heavens? DOST THOU NOT KNOW ALL THINGS, BOTH HIDDEN AND REVEALED?
THOU KNOWEST THE SECRETS OF ETERNITY AND THE MOST HIDDEN MYSTERIES OF ALL LIVING. Thou searchest the innermost recesses, and triest the veins and the heart. Nought is concealed from Thee, or hidden from Thine eyes. May it then be Thy will O Lord our God and God of our fathers, to forgive us for all our sins, to pardon us for all our iniquities, and to grant us remission for all our transgressions:
For the sin which we have committed before thee under compulsion, or of our own will;
And for the sin which we have committed before thee in hardening of the heart...
And for the sin which we have committed before thee openly and secretly...
And for the sin which we have committed before thee in speech;
For the sin which we have committed before thee BY WRONGING OUR NEIGHBOR...
And for the sin which we have committed before thee by confession with the mouth alone...
And for the sin which we have committed before thee in presumption or in error:
For the sin which we have committed before thee BY VIOLENCE;
And for the sin which we have committed before thee BY THE PROFANATION OF THE DIVINE NAME...
For the sin which we have committed against thee BY EVIL INCLINATION;
And for the sin which we have committed against thee wittingly or unwittingly.
For the sin which we have committed against thee BY SCOFFING...
For the sin which we have committed against thee IN BUSINESS...
For the sin which we have committed against thee BY USURY AND INTEREST;
And for the sin which we have committed against thee BY THE STRETCHED-FORTH NECK OF PRIDE...
For the sin which we have committed against thee BY BREAKING OFF THE YOKE OF THY COMMANDMENTS;
And for the sin which we have committed against thee by contentiousness;
And for the sin which we have committed against thee BY ENSNARING OUR NEIGHBOR...
For the sin which we have committed against thee BY RUNNING TO DO EVIL...
And for the sin which we have committed against thee by causeless HATRED...
And for the sin which we have committed against thee WITH CONFUSION OF MIND...
And also for the sins for which we owe a burnt offering:
And for the sins for which we owe a sin offering...
We therefore hope in Thee, O Lord our God, THAT WE MAY SPEEDILY BEHOLD THE GLORY OF THY MIGHT, WHEN THOU WILT REMOVE THE ABOMINATIONS FROM THE EARTH, AND THE IDOLS WILL BE UTTERLY CUT OFF, when the world will be perfected under the kingdom of the Almighty, and all the children of flesh will call upon Thy Name, when Thou wilt return unto Thyself all the wicked of the earth. Let all the inhabitants of the world perceive and know THAT UNTO THEE EVERY KNEE MUST BOW, EVERY TONGUE MUST SWEAR (understand Romans 14:11; Isaiah 45:23). Before Thee, O Lord our God, let them bow and fall; and unto Thy glorious Name let them give honour; let them all accept the yoke of Thy kingdom (Matthew 11:29,30), and do thou reign over them speedily, and for ever and ever. For the kingdom is Thine, and to all eternity Thou wilt reign in glory; as it is written: And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall the Lord be One, and His name One.
This morning before the beginning of Yom Kippur services in front of the Jacob Javitz Center in New York City, several police officers assigned to the day's observances allowed me to stand outside the Center, and read privately from the Prayer Book for the Day of Atonement (from which all of the above excerpts are taken). But when I petitioned those entering the service not to fail to make an atonement for all of the violence that was being committed by both Israel and America in the Middle East (in the Name of God), and after several worshippers were visibly agitated by the suggestion, an officer approached and told me that he was not going to tolerate any problems, and that those entering the services were entitled not to be assaulted with offensive ideas. "I respect your right of free speech," he said (as long as I do not exercise it of course), "but if you persist I will have no choice but to confiscate your materials and books...If you want to be quiet you can stay, otherwise you will be forced to leave." As I was leaving I mentioned to him the text in Ezekiel that states, that if a person sees the Sword coming, and warns not the people, that God will hold that person responsible (Ezekiel 33). "The responsibilty is now yours," I told him, "seeing that you have used your authority to keep me from fulfilling mine." He shrugged uncaringly and motioned me to move on. The reason for bringing all of this up is to repent myself for those words. The officer cannot be held responsible for things he does not understand, and for being hardened by his own circumstances in life, and by the orders of others. We on the other hand, are accounted as fools for Messiah's sake.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who at Thy word bringest on the Evening Twilight, with Wisdom openest the gate of the heavens, and with Understanding changest times and variest the seasons, and arrangest the stars in their watches in the sky, according to Thy will. Thou createst Day and Night; Thou rollest away the Light from before the Darkness; and the Darkness from before the Light; Thou makest the Day pass and the Night to approach, and dividest (the children of) the Day from (the children of) the Night; the Lord of hosts is Thy name; a God living and enduring continually, mayest Thou reign over us for ever and ever. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who bringest on the Evening Light.
Faithful art Thou to quicken the dead. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who quickenest the dead...
Thou favourest man with Knowledge, and teachest mortals understanding.
Thou hast favored us with a knowledge of Thy law, and hast taught us to perform the statutes of Thy will. Thou hast made a distinction, O Lord our God, between holy and profane, between Light and Darkness, between (the True) Israel and other nations, between the Seventh Day and the Six working days. O our Father, our King, grant that the days which are approaching us may begin for us in peace, and that we may be witheld from all sin and cleansed from all iniquity, and cleave to the fear of Thee. O favour uss with knowledge, understanding and discernment from Thee. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, gracious Giver of Knowledge.
Cause us to return, O our Father, unto thy Law; draw us near, O our King, unto Thy service, and bring us back in perfect repentence unto Thy Presence. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who delightest in repentence. The Evening Service.