Birth of Zebulun
Zebulun, the son ofThe 10-day period beginning on Rosh Hashanah and ending on Yom Kippur is known as the "Ten Days of Repentance"; this is the period, say the sages, of which the prophet speaks when he proclaims (Isaiah 55:6) "Seek G-d when He is to be found; call on Him when He is near." Psalm 130, Avinu Malkeinu and other special inserts and additions are included in our daily prayers during these days.
The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below for today's three Psalms.
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Links: About the Ten Days of teshuvah; Voicemail; more on teshuvah
When did Yom Kippur first come to be?
When the people broke their word by worshipping a calf of gold, Moses told G‑d:
“Forgive them. And if You do not, erase me from Your book that You have written.”
Meaning:
“I know You want to forgive them. You love them no matter what. You loved them before, when they had all but abandoned You in Egypt. And You love them now as well.”
“What has occurred since then? That you have given them your Torah. So that it’s only this book, your Torah, that stands in the way.”
“And if so, I want no part in such a book.”
So it was that then, through Moses, that G‑d wrote a day of forgiveness into His book.
Because the people are not here for the sake of keeping this Torah. The Torah is here to lift up the people.
It is given to us out of love. Unconditional love. And that is Yom Kippur.