Closing of the Gates

Explore judaism's timeless message of divine purpose and the ongoing search for meaning in a world of human frailty, but also promise.N'ilah, "the closing of the gates" is, in many ways, the most anticipated worship service in the entire Jewish calendar. Coming at the end of the 24-hour fast that characterizes Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement), it symbolizes the days of old when the gates of the ancient Temple closed at last, and with them, the last chance for prayers of atonement and reconciliation with God and with others. Nowadays, the synagogue service that replaced the Temple cult marks the occasion with heightened fervor: the only time all year when the gates of the ark that houses the Torah scroll remain open throughout the service; telltale melodies accompany the occasion; a final blast of the shofar (the ram's horn) symbolizes the end of the fast and the new beginning that follows; special prayers celebrate the human capacity to create a life that matters beyond our own mortality - and the presence of God who "reaches out a hand" to invite us into the new Jewish year that N'ilah's final shofar blast inaugurates.
Prayers of Awe: A multi-volume series designed to explore the High Holy Day liturgy and enrich the praying experience for everyone-whether experienced worshipers or guests who encounter Jewish prayer for the very first time.
Contributors:
Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, DHL
Rabbi Tony Bayfield, CBE, DD
Rabbi Will Berkovitz
Dr. Annette M. Boeckler
Dr. Erica Brown
Rabbi Lawrence A. Englander, CM, DHL, DD
Rabbi Lisa Exler
Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand
Rabbi Laura Geller
Rabbi Edwin Goldberg, DHL
Rabbi Andrew Goldstein, PhD
Dr. Joel M. Hoffman
Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD
Rabbi Walter Homolka, PhD, DHL
Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, DHL
Rabbi Reuven Kimelman, PhD
Dr. Mark L. Kligman
Rabbi Noa Kushner
Rabbi Daniel Landes
Rabbi Asher Lopatin
Catherine Madsen
Rabbi Jonathan Magonet, PhD
Rabbi Dalia Marx, PhD
Ruth Messinger
Rabbi Charles H. Middleburgh, PhD
Rabbi Jay Henry Moses
Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum
Rabbi Jack Riemer
Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, DMin
Rabbi Marc Saperstein, PhD
Rabbi Dennis C. Sasso, DMin
Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, DMin Rabbi Jonathan P. Slater, DMin
Rabbi David A. Teutsch, PhD
Rabbi Margaret Moers Wenig, DD
Rabbi Daniel G. Zemel