Yom Kippur Recipes and Meal Plan
Noon on eve of Yom Kippur:
Meal before the fast (Yom Kippur eve) :
The Break Fast (Yom Kippur night):
Our family has maintained and passed these Yom Kippur Recipes over the generations. I'm honored to be able to share them with you.
Yom Kippur is considered the most important holiday in the Judaism. It is also known as the Day of Atonement. During this high holiday, Jews ask God for forgiveness for their sins.
Seven days prior (for Ashkenazi Jews), and 30 days prior to Yom Kippur (for Sephardi Jews), is the period called Selichot. During this time, penitential prayers (Piyyutim) are recited on a daily basis, prior to daily morning prayers. Selichot, meaning Prayers for Forgiveness, are ancient prayers mentioned in the Mishnah.
The holidays lasts 25 hours. It is a fast day, meaning no water or food is consumed during this period so that all focus and concentration should be dedicated to repentance.
Other prohibitions during the holiday include washing, using perfumes and lotions (anointment), and marital relations. Men wear white as a symbol of purity.
In Jewish tradition, G-d writes the fate of each person for the coming year into a "book" on Rosh Hashanah. G-d waits until Yom Kippur to "seal" the book.
During these holy days, Jews try to improve their behavior. They ask for forgiveness for sins against God. They also ask each other to forgive them for anything they did to hurt each other. The evening and day are used for public and private confessions of guilt (Vidui). At the end of the high holiday, Jews consider themselves absolved by G-d.
As with all Jewish holidays, they begin the preceding evening. As this is a long fast day, our family has traditional pre-fast and break-fast meals:
View all these Yom Kippur Recipes here.
During the holiday, it is customary to greet people with the following, “G'mar Hatima Tova” (May you be sealed in the Book of Life).