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