The Closing of the Gates

About this book

Explore judaism's timeless message of divine purpose and the ongoing search for meaning in a world of human frailty, but also promise.N'ilah, "the closing of the gates" is, in many ways, the most anticipated worship service in the entire Jewish calendar. Coming at the end of the 24-hour fast that characterizes Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement), it symbolizes the days of old when the gates of the ancient Temple closed at last, and with them, the last chance for prayers of atonement and reconciliation with God and with others. Nowadays, the synagogue service that replaced the Temple cult marks the occasion with heightened fervor: the only time all year when the gates of the ark that houses the Torah scroll remain open throughout the service; telltale melodies accompany the occasion; a final blast of the shofar (the ram's horn) symbolizes the end of the fast and the new beginning that follows; special prayers celebrate the human capacity to create a life that matters beyond our own mortality - and the presence of God who "reaches out a hand" to invite us into the new Jewish year that N'ilah's final shofar blast inaugurates.Prayers of Awe: A multi-volume series designed to explore the High Holy Day liturgy and enrich the praying experience for everyone--whether experienced worshipers or guests who encounter Jewish prayer for the very first time.Contributors: Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, DHL Rabbi Tony Bayfield, CBE, DDRabbi Will Berkovitz Dr. Annette M. BoecklerDr. Erica BrownRabbi Lawrence A. Englander, CM, DHL, DDRabbi Lisa ExlerRabbi Shoshana Boyd GelfandRabbi Laura GellerRabbi Edwin Goldberg, DHLRabbi Andrew Goldstein, PhDDr. Joel M. HoffmanRabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhDRabbi Walter Homolka, PhD, DHL Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, DHLRabbi Reuven Kimelman, PhDDr. Mark L. KligmanRabbi Noa KushnerRabbi Daniel LandesRabbi Asher LopatinCatherine MadsenRabbi Jonathan Magonet, PhDRabbi Dalia Marx, PhDRuth MessingerRabbi Charles H. Middleburgh, PhDRabbi Jay Henry MosesRabbi Rachel NussbaumRabbi Jack RiemerRabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, DMinRabbi Marc Saperstein, PhDRabbi Dennis C. Sasso, DMinRabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, DMinRabbi Jonathan P. Slater, DMinRabbi David A. Teutsch, PhDRabbi Margaret Moers Wenig, DDRabbi Daniel G. Zemel