Jewish Days of Repentance
The 40 Days of Awe or Repentance, including Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, are a time of atonement and forgiveness
The Jewish people observe a penitential period of 40 Days, which include the two most important holidays.
With Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish people start off their New Year with the Ten Days of Repentance. But these Ten Days are only the ending of the most important religious time (the "High Holidays" in English) for the Jews, collectively called the 40 "Days of Awe" (Yamim Noraim, the term also commonly applied to the last Ten Days).
There are 40 Days of Awe, beginning at sunset on Rosh Chodesh Elul, the first day of the month of Elul, and ending on Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement.
At a glance (for 2006):
- 40 Days of Awe beginning on Rosh Chodesh Elul or 1 Elul (Jewish Year 5766: sunset August 25, 2006)
- First 30 days, 1-29 Elul (Jewish Year 5766: sunset August 25 - sunset September 22, 2006)
- Rosh HaShanah or New Year on 1-2 Tishri, marks the beginning of Ten Days of Repentance (Jewish Year 5767; sunset September 22, 2006 - sunset September 24, 2006)
- Ten Days of Repentance, 1-10 Tishri (Jewish Year 5767: sunset September 22, 2006 - sunset October 2, 2006)
- Yom Kippur or the Day of Attonement is the last Day of Awe (Jewish Year 5767: sunset October 1, 2006 - sunset October 2, 2006)
The 40 Days of Awe represent the time spent by Moses on Mount Sinai on his third and final stay there, before he came down with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 31). During this time, God also told Moses about the "Thirteen Attributes of Divine Mercy" (Exodus 34). These reveal that man has the power to repent and rectify his past wrongdoings. On Sinai, God utters them as a promise to forgive Israel for making the golden calf.
Thus Elul is the month of stocktaking of one's actions and spiritual improvement in preparation of the New Year, as well as the "Month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness".
During the Days of Awe in general, the Jewish people are called upon to heighten their activity in three areas:
- repentance or teshuvah, which literally means "return": this is a return to one's true, good self, and to God.
- prayer or tefillah which means "attachment": by praying, one re-attaches oneself to God.
- charity or tzedakah, which means "justice": coming closer to God also demands renewed love for the fellow Jew (Ahavat Yisrael).
Of the 40 Days of Awe, many Jews celebrate only Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
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