לֵיל יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים מַתְחִילִים ה' מָלָךְ תָּגֵל גו'. פָּסוּק אוֹר זָרוּעַ — פַּעַם אַחַת וּבְקוֹל רָם. עַל דַּעַת הַקָּהָל כו' ג' פְּעָמִים וּבְקוֹל נָמוּךְ. אֵין כּוֹפְלִים הֶחָרוּז כִּי הִנֵּה כַּחוֹמֶר. קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע שֶׁעַל הַמִּטָּה כְּמוֹ בְּשַׁבָּת וְיוֹם טוֹב. אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ זְכוֹר רַחֲמֶיךָ כו' — בְּכָל תְּפִלּוֹת הַיּוֹם. בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה וְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים אוֹמְרִים י"ג מִדּוֹת הָרַחֲמִים בְּהוֹצָאַת הַסֵּפֶר תּוֹרָה גַּם כְּשֶׁחָל בְּשַׁבָּת. שִׁעוּר תְּהִלִּים אַחַר מוּסָף.

הַפְטוֹרַת מִנְחַת יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים: וַיְהִי דְבַר — וּבְהֵמָה רַבָּה. מִי אֵל כָּמוֹךָ גו'. גַּם בְּמִנְחָה אוֹמְרִים לְדָוִד ה' אוֹרִי. פְּתִיחַת הָאָרוֹן בִּנְעִילָה לְאַשְׁרֵי, וְנִשְׁאָר פָּתוּחַ עַד אַחֲרֵי כָּל תְּפִלַּת נְעִילָה. בְּקַדִּישׁ דִּנְעִילָה - לְעֵילָּא וּלְעֵילָּא, אֵין כֵּאלֹקֵינוּ, עָלֵינוּ. וְאֵין נוֹשְׂאִים כַּפַּיִם. אוֹמְרִים הַיּוֹם יִפְנֶה, גַּם אִם הֶעֱרִיב הַיּוֹם. אֵין מְבָרְכִים שֶׁעָשָׂה לִי כָּל צָרְכִּי עַד לְמָחָר.

The Evening Service1 of Yom Kippur2 opens with the psalm beginning A-donai malach tagel.3 Its second-last verse, beginning Or zarua, is said once,4 aloud. The statement beginning Al daas HaMakom is recited three times, quietly.5

The opening stanza of the liturgical hymn beginning Ki hinei kachomer6 is not repeated as a refrain [at the end of each of the subsequent stanzas].

Kerias Shema, the Prayer before Retiring at Night, follows the same order as on Shabbos and Yom-Tov.7

The passage beginning Avinu Malkeinu zechor rachamecha is recited in all the daytime prayer services.8

When the Torah scroll is taken out of the Ark on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy9 are recited even on Shabbos.10

The daily reading of Tehillim11 follows Mussaf.

The haftarah recited during the Afternoon Service on Yom Kippur begins Vayehi dvar and continues until behemah rabbah.12 The maftir then adds the three verses beginning Mi E-l kamocha.13

The psalm beginning LeDavid HaShem ori14 is recited [not only in the Morning Service but] also in the Afternoon Service.

For the Neilah Service,15 the Ark is opened before the recitation of Ashrei and remains open until the completion of that Service.16

In the Kaddeishim17 recited [before and directly after] Neilah,18 [the sheliach tzibbur] says le’eila ule’eila.19 [The Neilah Service then concludes with] Ein K’Elokeinu and Aleinu. The kohanim do not bless the people in the course of that Service.20

The sentence beginning Hayom yifneh is said even after dark.21

The blessing that concludes she’asah li kol tzorki is not recited until the following day.22

יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים קוּמְט אוֹיס צוּ פאַסְטעֶן זעֶקס אוּן צְוואַנצִיג שָׁעָה.

In practice,23 the fast of Yom Kippur lasts 26 hours.24

Probing Beneath the Surface

R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev once said that there are two days on which is it easy to fast:25 “On Tishah BeAv, when the Destruction is so complete, who could possibly eat? And on Yom Kippur, when the holiness is so palpable, who wants to eat?”

Few of us, perhaps, are so sensitive to the holiness of Yom Kippur that we utterly lose all desire for food. Nevertheless, in the unique spirituality of this day we can all hear an inviting overture to the cosmic music of the Ultimate Future — when we will live in this world, in our physical bodies, though deriving all our nourishment from our souls. Accordingly, our fasting on Yom Kippur should be perceived not only as a penance for our sins, but as a taste of a higher reality where physical concerns are no longer our first priority, and our focus is spiritual.