Jewish Holiday of Yom Kippur Focuses On Life And Death— Difficult Hours for Those Grieving a Recent Death
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Yom Kippur - The High Holy Days
The holiday, Yom Kippur, which is celebrated on October 11 and 12 this year, is considered one of the High Holy Days in the Jewish calendar. The High Holidays – Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – are also called the Days of Awe. Rosh Hashana, which has recently passed, is the Jewish New Year; Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement.
With these holidays come so much meaning, contemplation, solemnity, and the ever-present theme of life and death. In fact, one of the most renowned and moving poems in the Jewish liturgy called the Unetanah Tokef, read on Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur, states,
On Rosh Hashanah it is inscribed, And on Yom Kippur it is sealed. How many shall pass away and how many shall be born, Who shall live and who shall die.
Yizkor Service
Another Yom Kippur tradition in synagogues, is a special worship service, the Yizkor service, devoted to prayer and remembrance of deceased loved ones. The Yizkor services are a perfect opportunity to remember the deceased and to honor one’s own feelings of grief. It is also a time for attuning to the soul and spirit of the person who has died, and the legacy he or she has left behind. Attending the service in a synagogue adds the benefit of being among a community of caring congregants.
I want to mark the holiday by validating and normalizing the feelings experienced by those whom have lost a loved one, during Yom Kippur.
Below is a link to a beautifully -written article from the Times of Israel. Called, “No, I’m not OK: Wrestling with a Stranger Named Death on Yom Kippur." The young woman who wrote it was grieving during the year and spoke honestly and openly about her feelings at Yom Kippur.
In my opinion, this says it all. Click below.
GRIEF IS HARD AND HEAVY
That’s why I became a grief counselor – to help support those who have experienced the loss of a loved one. This is the most difficult of life experiences to endure. Nobody should have to go through it alone. I’m sure you’ll agree.
