Yom Kippur

O Lord, You have searched me and known me,
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord,
you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your Presence?
If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning and settle
at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there Your hand shall lead me.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.
See if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
God is good to all, and His compassion is over all that He has made.

All Your works shall give thanks to You, O God,
and all Your faithful shall bless You.
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom
and tell of Your power, to make known to all people
Your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor
of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout
all generations.

The Lord is faithful in all His words,
and gracious in all His deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to You and You give them
their food in due season.
You open Your hand, satisfying the desire
of every living thing.

The Lord is just in all His ways,
and kind in all His doings.
The Lord is near to all who call on Him,
to all who call on Him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of all who fear Him;
He also hears their cry, and saves them.

The Lord watches over all who love Him,
but all the wicked He will destroy.
My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and all flesh will bless His holy name
forever and ever.

Let every living soul bless Your name, O Lord,
and let every human being acclaim Your majesty, forever and ever.
Through all eternity,
You alone are our Sovereign God.
Lord of all ages, of all creatures,
of all generations: all praise is to You.

You guide the world with steadfast love,
Your creatures with tender mercy.
You neither slumber nor sleep;
You awaken the sleeping and arouse the dormant. You give speech to the silent,
freedom to the enslaved, and justice to the oppressed.
To You alone we give thanks.

Therefore, O Lord, limbs and tongue and heart and mind shall join to praise Your name;
every tongue will yet affirm You, and every soul give You allegiance. As it is written:
All my limbs shall say: ‘Who is like You, Eternal One?’ And David sang:
‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me bless His holy name!’

You are tremendous in power, O Lord,
glorious in being, mighty forever
and awesome in Your works.
Sovereign supreme and exalted.

May His great name grow exalted and sanctified
in the world that He created as He willed.
May He give reign to His kingship in your lifetimes and in your days and in the lifetimes
of the entire Family of Israel, swiftly and soon.
Amen. May His great name be blessed forever and ever.

Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled,
mighty, upraised, and lauded be the name
of the Holy One,
blessed is He exceedingly beyond any blessing
and song, praise and consolation
that are uttered in the world.
Amen.

Maker of darkness and dawn, the God Who opens
the gates of mercy, Who gives light to all
who await forgiveness,
be with us on this Day of Atonement.
God of times and seasons,
be with us this day.

God of hope and joy, be with us this day
God of the loving heart, be with us this day.
Be with us as we look for strength to be free, freedom to struggle against those
who worship power, and power to resist all
who would oppress us.
God of freedom and right,
be with us this day.

Most High God, You have made each of us unique, and formed us to be united
in one family of life.
Be with us, Eternal One, as we seek to unite our lives with Your power and Your love.

We proclaim now Your Oneness
and our own hope for unity;
we acclaim Your creative power in the universe and the Torah that binds world to world
and heart to heart.

Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheynu,
Adonai Echad.
Baruch shem kevod malkhuto leolam vaed.
Hear, O Israel, Adonai is our God,
Adonai is One.
Blessed is His glorious name forever and ever.

All are seated

You shall love the Lord with all your mind,
with all your strength, with all your being.
Set these words, which I command you this day, upon your heart. Teach them faithfully to your children; speak of them in your home
and on your way; when you lie down
and when you arise.

Bind them as a sign upon your arm and let them be symbols before your eyes.
Inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Be mindful of all My mitzvot, and do them;
so shall you consecrate yourselves to Adonai.
I am Adonai Who led you out of Egypt to be your God;
I AM Adonai.

In this world waiting to be redeemed,
our hearts cry out:
Cannot our dearest hopes at last come true?
Many are our defeats, yet how many our deliverances! After servitude to Pharoah,
we choose service to the Lord;
after exile in Babylon,
we rebuild the Lord’s Holy Temple.

Yesterday’s wounds, so nearly fatal, begin to heal; and Israel, living still, plants new seeds of redemption.
Let the time come when all the peoples will be joined in bonds that cannot break.
The nations will yet be at peace;
the earth will yield good fruit.
Mountains and waters will exult,
those who sowed in tears will reap in joy,
and all will sing with one accord:

Micha mocha bayaleem Adonai?
Micha mocha nedar ba kodesh.
Norah tehelote, oseh feh leh, oseh feh leh
Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like You, Lord there is none else.
You are awesome in praise, doing wonders, O Lord.
Who is like You, O Lord?

A new song the redeemed sang to Your name.
At the shore of the Sea, saved from destruction, they proclaimed
Your sovereign power:

“Adonai will reign forever and ever!”
O Rock of Israel, come to Israel’s help.
Fulfill Your promise of redemption for
Judah and Israel.

Our Redeemer is the Almighty,
the Holy One of Israel.
We praise You, O Lord, Redeemer of Israel.

You made the earth and brought us forth
to dwell in it.
You called Abraham and Sarah to righteousness,
their children to bear witness to Your glory.
You formed us to be a covenant people,
eternal as the hosts of heaven.

O Lord, You are the Shield of our people,
our everlasting light.
Remember us unto life, O King who delights in life,
and inscribe us in the Book of Life, for Your sake,
O Lord of Life.

Your might, O Lord, is everlasting.
Help us to use our strength for good
and not for evil.
You are the source of life and blessing;
Help us to choose life for ourselves and our children.
You are support of the falling;
Help us to lift up the fallen.

You are the Author of freedom;
Help us to set free the captive
You are the Hope in death as in life;
Help us to keep faith with those
who sleep in the dust.
Your might, O Lord, is everlasting;
Help us to use strength for good.

All are seated

On Rosh Hashanah we reflect,
On Yom Kippur we consider:
Who shall live for the sake of others,
Who, dying, shall leave a heritage of life.
Who shall burn with fires of greed,
Who shall drown in the waters of despair.

Whose hunger shall be for the good.
Who shall thirst for justice and right.
Whose tongue shall be a thrusting sword,
Whose words shall make for peace.

Who shall be plagued by fear of the world,
Who shall strangle for lack of friends.
Who shall rest at the end of day,
Who lie sleepless on a bed of pain.
Who shall go forth in the quest for truth.
Who shall be locked in the prison of self.

Who shall be serene in every storm,
Who shall be troubled by the passing breeze.
Who shall be poor in the midst of possessions,
Who shall be rich, content with their lot.

Repentance, prayer, and charity:
These return us to the Lord.
Forgiven the past, renewed for tomorrow;
May we go forth with rejoicing,
To a year of great goodness.

You write and You seal,
You record and recount.
You remember deeds long forgotten.
You open the book of our days,
and what is written there proclaims itself,
for it bears the signature
of every human being.

The great Shofar is sounded,
the still, small voice is heard;
the angels gripped by fear and trembling
declare in awe:
This is the Day of Judgement!
For even the hosts of heaven are judged,
as all who dwell on earth
stand arrayed before You.

As the shepherd seeks out the flock,
and makes the sheep pass under the staff,
so do You muster and number and consider every soul, setting the bounds of every creature’s life, and decreeing its destiny.

On Rosh Hashanah it is written,
on Yom Kippur it is sealed:

How many shall pass on,
how many shall come to be;

who shall live and who shall die;
who shall see ripe age and who shall not;

who shall perish by fire and who by water;
who by sword and who by beast;

who by hunger and who by thirst;
who by earthquake and who by plague;

who by strangling and who by stoning;
who shall be secure and who shall be driven;

But REPENTANCE, PRAYER, and CHARITY
temper judgment’s severe decree.
who shall be poor and who shall be rich;
who shall be humbled and who exalted.
who shall be tranquil and who shall be troubled;

This is Your glory:
You are slow to anger, ready to forgive.
It is not the death of sinners You seek,
but that they should turn from their ways and live.
Until the last day You wait for them,
welcoming them as soon as they turn to You.

To all generations we will make known
Your greatness, and to all eternity proclaim
Your holiness. Your praise, O Lord,
shall never depart from our lips.

Eternal God, cause all Your works to stand
in awe before You, and all that You have made
to tremble at Your presence.
Let all that live revere You,
and all creation turn to You in worship.
Let them all become a single family,
doing Your will with a perfect heart.
For well we know, Everlasting God,
that Yours is the majesty, Yours the might;
and awesome is Your name in all creation.

Grant honor to Your people, glory to those who revere You, hope to those who seek You,
and courage to those who trust You;
bless Your land with gladness and Your city
with joy, and cause the light of redemption
to dawn for all who dwell on earth.

Then the just shall see and exult,
the upright be glad and the faithful sing for joy.
Violence shall rage no more, and evil shall vanish
like smoke;
the rule of tyranny shall pass away from the earth, and You alone shall have dominion over
all Your works, as it is written:

The Eternal One shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, from generation to generation.
Halleluyah!
You are holy; awesome is Your name;
there is no God but You.
The God of all being is exalted by justice;
the Holy God is sanctified by righteousness.
Blessed is the Eternal One, who rules in holiness.

We give thanks for the Mitzvot which hallow our days,
and pray for wisdom to guide our lives by Torah.
May our redemptive labors make us glad,
our struggle for purity not fail,
and our striving for good bring us joy.
Blessed is the Vision of holiness that exalts
the House of Israel and the Day of Atonement.

You are with us in our prayer, in our love
and our doubt, in our longing to feel
Your presence and to do Your will.
You are the still, clear voice within us.
Therefore, Lord, when doubt troubles us,
when anxiety makes us tremble,
and pain clouds the mind,
we look inward for the answer to our prayers.

There may we find You, and there find courage
and endurance. And let our worship bring us closer to one another, that all Israel,
and all who seek You,
may find new strength for Your service.

In the love of fathers and mothers
who have nurtured our lives,
with whose blessing we have gone forth
to our own work in the world.
We rejoice in the love of parents.
In the children who bless our homes,
whose eager minds and hearts
are the promise of tomorrow.
We rejoice in our children.

In friends who share our sorrows and joys,
in the fullness of the abundant life,
in the serenity of old age,
and in the peace that comes at last.
We rejoice, and shall rejoice for evermore.
Our God and God of all generations,
bless us with the threefold benediction
of the Torah:

May God bless and keep you.
May this be God’s will.
May the light of God’s presence shine upon you
and be gracious to you.
May this be God’s will.
May God bestow favor upon you and give you peace.
May this be God’s will.

Peace and happiness, blessing, grace,
love and mercy:
may these descend on all Israel
and all the world.
Bless us, O Lord, one and all,
with the light of Your Presence;
for in the light of Your Presence
we find the fullness of life:
faithful love and charity, compassion,
blessing, and peace.

Help us, O God of peace, by our deeds to inscribe ourselves in the Book of life and blessing, righteousness and peace.

Praised be the One who teaches Israel
and all peoples to love and pursue peace,
and to bring it to all the earth.

Our God, God of our forefathers,
may our prayer come before You,
and do not ignore our supplication for we are not so brazen and obstinate as to say before You, our God and God of all ages,
that we are righteous and have not sinned--
rather, we and our forefathers have sinned.

All rise

We have become guilty, we have betrayed,
we have robbed, we have spoken slander.
We have caused perversion,
we have caused wickedness,
we have sinned willfully,
we have extorted,
we have accused falsely.
We have given evil counsel,
we have been deceitful,

we have scorned, we have rebelled,
we have provoked, we have turned away,
we have been perverse, we have acted wantonly,
we have persecuted, we have been obstinate.
We have been wicked, we have corrupted,
we have been abominable, we have strayed.
You have let us go astray.

We have turned away from Your commandments and from Your good laws but to no avail.
You are righteous in all that has come upon us,
for You have acted truthfully
while we have caused wickedness.

O Lord, You are slow to anger,
You are called the Master of Mercy,
and You have taught the way of repentance.
May You remember this day and every day
the greatness of Your mercy and Your kindness
to the offspring of Your beloved ones.
Turn to us in mercy for You are
the Master of Mercy.

What can we say before You,
Who dwells on high,
And what can we relate to You,
Who abides in the highest heavens,
For indeed, everything that is hidden
and revealed You know.

You know the secrets of the universe,
and the hidden-most mysteries of all living.
You probe all the innermost chambers,
and test thoughts and emotions.
Nothing is hidden from You
And nothing is concealed from Your eyes.

And so may it be Your will, Adonai,
our God and the God of our forefathers,
that You forgive us for all our errors,
and You pardon us for all our iniquities,
and You atone for us for all our willful sins.

For the sin that we have sinned before You
under duress and willingly.

We have said we had no choice but to sin;
and we sinned willingly because we could not resist temptation.

And for the sin through hardness
of the heart.
We have refused to admit we might be wrong.

For the sin without knowledge.
We have sinned through ignorance.

And for the sin with the utterance of the lips.
We were too quick to promise or speak.

For the sin in public or private.
Sometimes we meant to be noticed;
sometimes we thought no one knows.
And for the sin through immorality.
We have aroused ourselves to commit immoral acts.
For the sin through harsh speech.
We have spoken too harshly.

And for the sin with knowledge and with deceit.
We have misused knowledge
and have deceived others.
For the sin through inner thoughts.
We have fantasized about sins
we wish we could commit.

And for the sin through wronging a neighbor.
We have wronged those who trusted us.
For the sin through insincere confession.
We have not taken repentance seriously.
And for the sin of showing contempt
for parents and teachers.
We have not respected those who could guide us.

For the sin by exercising power.
We have taken advantage of the weak.
And for the sin through desecration
of God’s Name.
We ignore the fact that people judge God
by the way we act.

For the sin through foolish speech.
We have indulged in idle chatter.
And for the sin through impure lips.
We have contaminated our mouths
with vulgar speech.
For the sin with the Evil Inclination,
We have incited our lusts and urges

And for the sin against those who know
and against those who do not know.
We have wronged people to their faces
and behind their backs.
For all these, O God of forgiveness, forgive us,
pardon us, atone for us.

For the sin by subservience through bribery.
We have purchase favors and sold ourselves
for money and honor.
And for the sin through denial
and false promises.
We have not been honest.
For the sin through evil talk.
We have spread gossip and slander.

And for the sin through scorning.
We refuse attempts to improve us.
For the sin in commercial dealings.
We have cheated and connived.
And for the sin with food and drink.
We have eaten forbidden foods.
For the sin through interest and extortion.
We have profited from usury.

And for the sin through haughtiness.
We have acted arrogantly.
For the sin with prying eyes.
We have been guilty in gazing
at forbidden things.
And for the sin with the idle chatter of our lips.
We have prattled endlessly and not concentrated
on what we were saying.

For the sin with haughty eyes.
We have been disdainful of others.
And for the sin with brazenness.
We have lacked the attribute of shame that would deter us from sin.
For all these, O God of forgiveness, forgive us,
pardon us, atone for us.

For the sin in throwing off Your yoke.
We have failed to accept the responsibilities
of being Your people:
Torah study, self-improvement, helping others,
and serving the community.
And for the sin in judgement.
We have judged unfairly.
For the sin through entrapping a neighbor.
We have taken advantage of our friends.

And for the sin through a begrudging eye.
We have been jealous.
For the sin with legs that run to do evil.
We have hurried to commit sins.
And for the sin by gossip-mongering.
We have turned people against one another.

For the sin through vain oath-taking.
We have sworn falsely and frivolously.
And for the sin through baseless hatred.
We have hated people on a personal level
instead of disagreeing with issues.
For the sin in the matter of extending a hand.
We have been callous to other people’s needs.

And for the sin through confusion of the heart.
We have not seen God’s hand in everyday events.
For all these, O God of forgiveness, forgive us,
pardon us, atone for us.

For a positive commandment and for a negative commandment, whether it can be remedied by a positive act or whether it cannot be remedied by a positive act.
Those that are revealed to us and those that are
not revealed to us.
Those that are revealed to us we have already declared before You and confessed them to You;
and those that are not revealed to us are revealed
and known to You,

As it is said: The concealed are for the Lord,
our God,
but the revealed are ours and our children’s forever,
that we may fulfill all the words of this Torah.
For You are the Forgiver of Israel and the pardoner
of the tribes of Jeshurun in every generation,
and beside You we have no king who pardons
and forgives--only You.

May it be your will, Adonai, my God
and the God of my forefathers, that I not sin again. And what I have sinned before You,
may You cleanse with Your abundant mercy--
but not through suffering or serious illness.

As in Your love, You have been patient with this people from the time You led us out of Egypt
to the present day, so in Your great love,
may You forgive Your people now.

And God said: I have pardoned
in response to your plea.

Who can say: I have purified my heart,
and I am free from sin?

There are none on earth so righteous
that they never sin.

Cast away all the evil you have done,
and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.

A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and give you
a heart that feels.
For thus says the Eternal God:
I, I Myself, will search for My sheep,
and seek them out.

As a shepherd seeks them out when any of the flock go astray, so will I seek out my sheep.
I will put My spirit within you, and teach you to live by My laws.

For I desire love and not sacrifices;
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings from
before My eyes;
cease to do evil; learn to do good.

Seek justice; correct oppression;
defend the orphan; plead for the widow.

Seek your God, the Eternal One,
whom you shall find if you search with all your heart and soul.

Show us Your love, O God, and grant us
Your help.

The Eternal One, the Eternal God, is merciful and gracious, endlessly patient, loving,
and true, showing mercy to thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, and granting pardon.

Avinu Malkeinu,
exterminate pestilence, sword, famine, captivity, destruction, iniquity and eradication from the members of Your covenant.

Avinu Malkeinu,
withhold the plague from Your heritage.

Avinu Malkeinu,
forgive and pardon all our iniquities.

Avinu Malkeinu,
wipe away and remove our willful sins and errors from You sight.

Avinu Malkeinu,
erase through Your abundant compassion all records of our guilt.

Avinu Malkeinu,
return us to You in perfect repentance.

Avinu Malkeinu,
send complete recovery to the sick of Your people.

Avinu Malkeinu,
tear up the the evil decree of our verdict.

Avinu Malkeinu,
recall us with a favorable memory before You.

Avinu Malkeinu,
inscribe us in the Book of good life.

Avinu Malkeinu,
inscribe us in the Book of redemption and salvation.

Avinu Malkeinu,
inscribe us in the Book of sustenance and support.

Avinu Malkeinu,
inscribe us in the Book of merits.

Avinu Malkeinu,
inscribe us in the Book of forgiveness and pardon.

Avinu Malkeinu,
make salvation sprout for us soon.

Avinu Malkeinu,
raise high the pride of Israel,Your people.

Avinu Malkeinu,
raise high the pride of Your Anointed One.

Avinu Malkeinu,
fill our hands with Your blessings.

Avinu Malkeinu,
fill our storehouses with abundance.

Avinu Malkeinu,
hear our voice, pity and be compassionate to us.

Avinu Malkeinu,
accept--with compassion and favor--our prayer.

Avinu Malkeinu,
remember that we are but dust.

Avinu Malkeinu,
please do not turn us from You empty-handed.

Avinu Malkeinu,
may this moment be a moment
of compassion and a time of favor before You.

Avinu Malkeinu,
take pity upon us,
and upon our children and our infants.

Avinu Malkeinu,
act for the sake of those who were murdered for Your Holy Name.

Avinu Malkeinu,
act for the sake of those who were slaughtered for Your Oneness.

Avinu Malkeinu,
act for the sake of those who went into fire and water for the sanctification of Your Name.

Avinu Malkeinu,
avenge before our eyes the spilled blood of Your servants.

Avinu Malkeinu,
act for Your sake if not for our sake.

Avinu Malkeinu,
act for Your sake and save us.

Avinu Malkeinu,
act for the sake of Your abundant compassion.

Avinu Malkeinu,
act for the sake of Your great, mighty, and awesome Name that is proclaimed upon us.
Avinu Malkeinu,
be gracious with us and answer us, though we have no worthy deeds; treat us with charity and kindness and save us.

Let us declare the greatness of our God and give honor to the Torah.
Yours, O God, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and earth is Yours. You, O God, are sovereign; You are supreme over all.

All are seated

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu Melech haolam, asher bachar banu meekol ha’amim,venatan lanu et Torato.

Baruch atah Adonai, notein haTorah.
Reading of the Torah

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has chosen us from all the nations and has given us His Torah.

Blessed are You, Lord, Giver of the Torah.

You are standing today, all of you, before HaShem, your God; the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers--all the men of Israel; your small children, your women, and your proselyte who is in the midst of your camp, from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water.

for you to pass into the covenant of HaShem,
your God, and into His imprecation that HaShem, your God, seals with you today, in order to establish you today as a people to Him and that He be a God to you, as He spoke to you and as He swore to your forefathers,
to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

Not with you alone do I seal this covenant and this imprecation, but with whoever is here, standing with us today before HaShem,
our God, and with whoever is not here
with us today.

For this commandment that I command you today--it is not hidden from you
and it is not distant. It is not in heaven,
for you to say, ‘Who can ascend to the heaven for us and take it for us so that we can listen
to it and perform it?’

Nor is it across the sea, for you to say, ‘Who can cross to the other side of the sea for us and take it for us, so that we can listen to it and perform it?’ Rather, the matter is very near to you--in your mouth and in your heart--to perform it.

See--I have placed before you today the life and the good, and the death and the evil; that which I command you today, to love HaShem, your God, to walk in His ways, to observe His commandments, His decrees, and His ordinances; then you will live and you will multiply, and HaShem, your God will bless you in the Land to which you come, to possess it.

But if your heart will stray and you will not listen, and you are led astray, and you prostrate yourself to the gods of others and serve them, I tell you today that you will surely be lost; you will not lengthen your days upon the Land that you cross the Jordan to come there, to possess it.

I call heaven and earth today to bear witness against you: I have placed life and death before you, blessing and curse; and you shall choose life, so that you will live, you and your offspring--to love HaShem, your God, to listen to His voice and to cleave to Him,

for He is your life and the length of your days,
to dwell upon the Land that HaShem swore to your forefathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob,
to give them.

After the reading of the Torah
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu Melech haolam, asher natan lanu Torat Emet, vechayey olam natah betochenu.

Baruch atah Adonai, notein haTorah.

Blessed are You, O Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who has given us the Torah of Truth, and implanted eternal life in us.

Blessed are you, Lord, Giver of the Torah.

This is the Torah that Moses placed before the people of Israel to fulfill the word of God.

The Torah is elevated

For not forever will I contend nor will I be eternally wrathful; for the Spirit that envelops them is from Me, and I have made the souls.
I became angry because of his sinful thievery,
I struck him, I hid Myself and remained angry--because he continued waywardly in the path of his heart.

But when I see his ways I will heal him;
I will guide him and recompense him and his mourners with consolations.
I create fruit of the lips:
‘ Peace, peace, for the far and near,’ says HaShem, ‘and I shall heal him.’

But the wicked are like the driven sea that cannot rest, and its waters throw up mire and mud. ‘There is no peace,’ says my God to the wicked.

Cry out vociferously, be not restrained;
raise your voice like a shofar--proclaim to My people their willful sins, to the Family of Jacob their error.
They pretend to seek Me every day, and they pretend to desire knowledge of My ways,

like a nation that acts righteously and has not forsaken the justice of its God;
they inquire of Me about righteous laws,
as if they desire the nearness of God.
They ask, ‘Why did You not see when we fasted?
We afflicted ourselves but You ignored it?’

And God answers, ‘Because on your fast day you sought out personal desires and you oppressed all whom you aggrieved! Because you fast with grievance and strife, and strike with a wicked fist; you do not fast as befits this day, to make your voice heard above.’

‘Can such be the fast I choose, a day when man merely afflicts himself? Can it be bowing his head like a bulrush and making a mattress of sackcloth and ashes? Do you call this a fast and a day of favor to HaShem?

‘Surely this is the fast I choose: open the bonds of wickedness, dissolve the groups that pervert justice, let the oppressed go free and annul all perverted justice. Surely you should divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the moaning poor to your home; when you see the naked cover him; and do not ignore your kin.’

Then your light will burst forth like the dawn
and your healing will speedily sprout;
then your righteous deed will precede you
and the glory of HaShem will gather you in.
Then you will call and HaShem will respond,
you will cry out and He will say, “Here I am!”
—if you remove from your midst perversion, finger-pointing, and evil speech.

And if you offer your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will shine in the darkness, and the deepest gloom will be like the noon. Then HaShem will guide you always, sate your soul in times of drought, and strengthen your bones; and you will be like a well-watered garden and a spring whose waters never fail.

Age-old ruins will be rebuilt through you,
you will erect generations-old foundations;
and they will call you, ‘repairer of the breach, restorer of paths for habitation.’

If you restrain because of the Sabbath, your feet; refrain from accomplishing your own needs on My Holy Day; if you proclaim the Sabbath ‘a delight,’ the Holy One of HaShem, ‘Honored One,’ and you honor it by not engaging in your own ways, from seeking your needs or discussing the forbidden:

Then you shall be granted pleasure
with HaShem and I shall mount you
astride the heights
of the world; and I will provide you the heritage of your forefather Jacob—
for the mouth of HaShem has spoken.

After the reading of the Haftarah
Praised be the Eternal God, Ruler of the universe, Rock of all creation, righteous in all generations, the faithful God whose word is deed, whose every command is just and true.

You are the Faithful One, Eternal God, and faithful is Your word. Not one word of Yours goes forth without accomplishing its task, O sovereign God, faithful and compassionate.
Show compassion for Zion, our House of Life, and speedily, in our own day, deliver those who despair. Blessed is the Eternal One, who brings joy to Zion’s children.

Eternal God, Bring us the joy of Your deliverance: let our dream of Elijah and David bear fruit. Speedily let redemption come to gladden our hearts. Let Your solemn promise be fulfilled: David’s light shall not forever be extinguished. Blessed is the Eternal One, the Shield of David.

For the Torah, for the privilege of worship,
for the prophets, and for this Day of Atonement that You, our Eternal God, have given us for pardon, forgiveness and atonement, for honor and for glory, we thank and bless You.

May Your name be blessed forever by every living being, for Your word is true forever. Blessed is our Sovereign God, whose forgiving love annuls our trespasses year after year.
Ruler of all the world, You hallow the House of Israel and the
Day of Atonement.

Be with our brothers and sisters whose lives are made hard because they are Jews.
Give them strength to endure, and lead them soon from bondage to freedom,
from darkness to light.
Bless this holy congregation and all who serve it, together with all other holy congregations,
in all lands near and far.

Uphold us, shield us, and bestow upon us abundant life and health and peace
and happiness in all our dwelling places.
Bring to fulfillment the blessing of Moses:
Your Eternal God make you a thousand times
as many as you are, and bless you as God has promised you. Amen.

O God, send Your healing to the sick,
Your comfort to all who are in pain or anxiety, Your tender love to the sorrowing hearts among us. Be their refuge through their time of trial,
as they pass from weakness to strength, from suffering to consolation, from lonely fear to
the courage of faith. Amen.

We pray for all who hold positions of leadership and responsibility in our national life. Let Your blessing rest upon them, and make them responsive to Your will, so that our nation may be to the world an example of justice and compassion.

Deepen our love for our country and our desire to serve it. Strengthen our power of self-sacrifice for our nation’s welfare. Teach us to uphold its good name by our own right conduct.

Cause us to see clearly that the well-being of our nation is in the hands of all its citizens; imbue us with zeal for the cause of liberty in our own land and in all lands; and help us always to keep our homes safe from affliction, strife, and war.
Amen.

We pray for the land of Israel and its people.
May its borders know peace, its inhabitants tranquility. And may the bonds of faith and fate which unite Israel in all lands be a source of strength to the state of Israel and to us all.

God of all lands and ages, answer our constant prayer with a Zion once more aglow with light for us and for all the world. Amen.

This is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel in days to come:
I will put My Torah within them, and engrave it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

No longer shall anyone need to teach a neighbor to know the Eternal One, for they shall all know Me, young and old!
Behold, a good doctrine has been given you; do not forsake it. It is a Tree of Life to those who hold it fast, and all who cling to it find happiness.

Help us to return to You, O God; then truly shall we return. Renew our days as in the past.
Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace.

The Ark is closed--All are seated

This day, strengthen us!
Amen.
This day, bless us!
Amen.
This day, exalt us!
Amen.
This day, look with favor upon us!
Amen.
This day, inscribe us for a blessed life!
Amen.
This day, hear our plea!
Amen.
This day, uplift us with Your righteousness! Amen.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and place a willing spirit within me.
You, Who know my thoughts and understand
the minds of mortals, know my longing
to do Your will.
Purify my thoughts, and free me from unworthy aims. May none of my troubles make me a stranger to You and keep me from serving You.
Lighten the weight of other burdens that keep me from bearing Yours, the commands that give me life. So, with all my heart, shall I turn to You in perfect repentance.

To be recited silently

Body and heart may fail, but God is forever the Rock of my heart and my life’s destination.

This concludes the readings of
Yom Kippur, our Day of Atonement.