Ne'ila ( he, נעילה, lit=locking), the ''concluding service'', is a special

Jewish prayer service Jewish prayer ( he, תְּפִלָּה, ; plural ; yi, תּפֿלה, tfile , plural ; Yinglish: davening from Yiddish 'pray') is the prayer recitation that forms part of the observance of Rabbinic Judaism. These prayers, often with i ...

that is held only on

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day's ...

. It is the time when final prayers of repentance are recited at the closing of Yom Kippur. Neilah marks the fifth

Amidah The ''Amidah Amuhduh'' ( he, תפילת העמידה, ''Tefilat HaAmidah'', 'The Standing Prayer'), also called the ''Shemoneh Esreh'' ( 'eighteen'), is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy. Observant Jews recite the ''Amidah'' at each o ...

of Yom Kippur, the only such occasion in the Hebrew calendar in which there are so many services.

In the Ashkenazic and Hassidic rites, Ne'ila begins with of

Ashrei Ashrei ( he, אַשְׁרֵי) is a prayer that is recited at least three times daily in Jewish prayers, twice during Shacharit (morning service) and once during Mincha (afternoon service). The prayer is composed primarily of Psalm 145 in its ent ...

, Uva L'Tzion, both of which are postponed from

Mincha Mincha ( he, מִנחַה, pronounced as ; sometimes spelled ''Minchah'' or ''Minḥa'') is the afternoon prayer service in Judaism. Etymology The name ''Mincha'', meaning "present", is derived from the meal offering that accompanied each sacrif ...

when they are normally recited on

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

and

Festivals A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival co ...

). In most other rites,

and Uva L'Tzion are recited as normal at Mincha, and Ashrei alone is repeated at the beginning of Ne'ila. This is followed by

with

Selichot Selichot ( he, סְלִיחוֹת, səlīḥōt, singular: , ''səlīḥā'') are Jewish penitential poems and prayers, especially those said in the period leading up to the High Holidays, and on fast days. The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are ...

and an abbreviated

Vidui In Judaism, confession ( he, וִדּוּי, vīddūy) is a step in the process of atonement during which a Jew admits to committing a sin before God. In sins between a Jew and God, the confession must be done without others present (The Talmud cal ...

; in the Ashkenazic rite, it concludes with

Avinu Malkeinu Avinu Malkeinu ( he, אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ; "Our Father, Our King") is a Jewish prayer recited during Jewish services during the Ten Days of Repentance, from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur inclusive. Since the 17th century, most ...

. In Sephardic practice, it begins with the hymn

El Nora Alila El Nora Alila ( he, אֵל נוֹרָא עֲלִילָה), also transliterated as Ayl Nora Alilah, is a piyyut (liturgical poem) that begins the Ne'ilah service at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. The piyyut is recited as part of the Sephardic and Miz ...

. The

shofar A shofar ( ; from he, שׁוֹפָר, ) is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying the ...

is blown and the song ''

L'Shana Haba'ah ''L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim'' ( he, לשנה הבאה בירושלים), lit. "Next year in Jerusalem", is a phrase that is often sung at the end of the Passover Seder and at the end of the ''Ne'ila'' service on Yom Kippur. Its use during P ...

'' is sung at the end of Ne'ila. In the Eastern Ashkenazic rite, the ark ''(Aron Kodesh'' or ''Hechal)'' remains open during the leader's repetition of the Ne'ila Amidah, and it is traditional to stand throughout the service. In the Western Ashkenazic rite, like in all of the prayers of Yom Kippur, the ark is open for the entire repetition of the Amidah except it is closed for Kedushah and Birkat Kohanim; most do not stand when it is open. While throughout the

High Holy Days The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe") #strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jew ...

, Jews pray to be "''written''" in the Book of Life, during Ne'ila in all such prayers the word 'write' (Hebrew ''katav'' כתב) is replaced by 'seal' (Hebrew ''ḥatam'' חתם).

References

Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings {{judaism-stub

Contents

References