JERUSALEM, Israel — Hundreds of Jews attended midnight prayers on the Western Wall, the holiest website within the religion, on the final Saturday evening earlier than Rosh Hashanah, reciting Selichot, or conventional prayers of penitence.
Rabbis led the group in reciting the prayers, and sounded the shofar — a ram’s horn that’s meant to remind those that hear it to repent for his or her sins and enhance their lives. (The phrase “shofar” shares a root with the verb “to enhance oneself” in Hebrew.)
Shofar sounding at midnight prayers #selichot #Jerusalem #Israel pic.twitter.com/YZydnL6zLp
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) September 9, 2023
Usually, Jews pray 3 times a day — as soon as within the morning, as soon as within the afternoon, and as soon as at evening. Selichot are a uncommon exception. The truth that they’re recited at evening is supposed so as to add to the sense of anguish, as if folks’s sins are maintaining them awake at evening.
Ladies pray on the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the holiest website in Judaism, throughout Selichot prayers after midnight, Sep. 10, 2023 (Joel Pollak / Breitbart Information)
However the temper on the Wall, whereas somber, was additionally joyous.
A dove observes Selichot prayers whereas perched on the Western Wall, the holiest website in Judaism, in Jerusalem, Israel. Sep. 10, 2023 (Joel Pollak / Breitbart Information)
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Yr, will probably be noticed on Friday night by way of Sunday night, marking the beginning of the yr 5884 on the Jewish calendar. Although a cheerful event — marked, for instance, by consuming candy meals like apples dipped in honey — additionally it is meant to be a time of reflection and repentance for previous misdeeds.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Giant at Breitbart Information and the host of Breitbart Information Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He’s the creator of the brand new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He’s additionally the creator of the current e-book, Neither Free nor Truthful: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He’s a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Comply with him on Twitter at @joelpollak.