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.

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

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

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