Children's Guide to Yom Kippur

Eat!
On the afternoon before Yom Kippur, this year on September 27, 2009, eat a festive meal.

Light Candles
Girls and their mothers light candles 18 minutes before sunset in your city - see this link for the exact time.

Each girl lights one candle. Light your candle, (carefully!), then sway your hands three times around the candles and recite the following blessings:

1) Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to light the candle of Yom Kippur.

Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-olam Asher Kideshanu Bemitzvotav Vetzivanu Lehadlik Ner Shel Yom Hakippurim.

2) Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.

Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-olam She-heche-ya-nu Ve-ki-yi-ma-nu Ve-higi-a-nu Liz-man Ha-zeh.

Change your Shoes
On Yom Kippur we do not wear leather shoes, so put on your canvas or plastic sneakers or sandals!

Fasting
All girls over 12 years old and boys over 13 old must fast. If you are not 12 or 13 yet, you are not obligated to fast, but you should refrain from eating sweets and goodies, as Yom Kippur is a very serious day.

Pray!
Yom Kippur means the Day of Atonement, because it is the day on which we atone for all of our sins.

Yom Kippur is a day of prayer. Go to the synagogue, find yourself a quiet spot, and pray and meditate. Think about the past year, think of all the good things you did and of the not so good things, feel bad about them? Okay, now decide that you will never do those things again. And ask G-d to forgive you for anything inappropriate you may have done. 

Shofar
At the end of the day, the whole congregation recites the Shema and a few other verses out loud together, then the shofar is sounded for one long blast. After that we say: "Next Year in Jerusalem." We then recite the evening services and the fast is over.

Click here to see how a shofar is made.