Ne'ila (), the ''concluding service'', is a special
Jewish prayer service that is held only on
Yom Kippur. It is the time when final prayers of repentance are recited at the closing of Yom Kippur. Neilah marks the fifth
Amidah
The ''Amidah'' (, ''Tefilat HaAmidah'', 'The Standing Prayer'), also called the ''Shemoneh Esreh'' ( 'eighteen'), is the central prayer of Jewish liturgy. Observant Jews recite the ''Amidah'' during each of the three services prayed on week ...
of Yom Kippur, the only such occasion in the Hebrew calendar in which there are so many services.
Contents
In the Ashkenazic and Hassidic rites, Ne'ila begins with
Ashrei and Uva L'Tzion, both of which are postponed from
Mincha, when they are normally recited on
Shabbat
Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...
and
Festivals. In most other rites,
Ashrei 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
Amidah
The ''Amidah'' (, ''Tefilat HaAmidah'', 'The Standing Prayer'), also called the ''Shemoneh Esreh'' ( 'eighteen'), is the central prayer of Jewish liturgy. Observant Jews recite the ''Amidah'' during each of the three services prayed on week ...
with
Selichot and an abbreviated
Vidui; in the Ashkenazic rite, it concludes with
Avinu Malkeinu. In Sephardic practice, it begins with the hymn
El Nora Alila. At the end of the service, the
shofar is blown, and in the Eastern Ashkenazic rite ''
L'Shana Haba'ah
''L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim'' (), is a phrase that is often sung at the end of the Passover Seder and - in the Eastern Asheknazic rite - at the end of the '' Ne'ila'' service on Yom Kippur. Its use during Passover was first recorded by ...
'' is recited (sometimes sung).
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, 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