621 - תרכא סדר קריאת התורה ומילה ביום כיפור ובו י"ז סעיפים

621 - Order of the Torah Reading and Circumcision on Yom Kippur - 17 Subsections

1 They take out two Torah scrolls, and six men read in the first, in Parshas Acharei Mos, until: "And he did as the Lord commanded" (Vayikra 16:34).

And if it falls on Shabbos — seven read.

And the maftir reads in the second scroll, in Pinchas: "And on the tenth of the month" (Bamidbar 29:7). And he reads as the haftarah in Yeshayahu: "And he said: Cast up, cast up" (Yeshayahu 57:14), until "for the mouth of the Lord has spoken" (Yeshayahu 58:14). Because in this passage the matter of repentance and fasting is explained.

2 In the blessings of the haftarah one does not conclude: "Blessed are You, Lord, King who pardons and forgives." Rather he should say: "And Your word is true and enduring forever, Blessed are You, Lord, King over all the earth, who sanctifies," etc.

3 If there is a circumcision on Yom Kippur — they circumcise between the reading of the Torah and Musaf. And after the circumcision they say "Ashrei." And there are those who practice to circumcise after Ashrei.

And if it is in a place where they circumcise the infant in his house and not in the synagogue — they do not circumcise until the return of the Torah scrolls to the ark — because it is a disgrace to the Torah scroll to leave it and go outside.

And after the circumcision they return to the synagogue and say the Kaddish that precedes the Musaf prayer.

4 And after the circumcision there are those who practice to recite the blessing of circumcision without a cup — because it is impossible to taste from it.

And they also do not give the infant to taste — a decree lest the infant become accustomed to this drinking of a mitzvah, and he will rule permission for himself to drink from a cup of blessing even when he grows up.

And even though on Tisha B'Av they give the infant to taste and we are not concerned about this, because it is a thing that is not common, as is written in siman 559 — nevertheless, on Yom Kippur, which is from the Torah, and punishable by kares — they were more stringent, and were concerned even for a thing that is not common.

5 And there are those who practice to recite the blessing over the cup and to give from it to the circumcised infant to taste, for with a minor such as this there is no reason to decree lest he drink even when he grows up.

And even though every cup of blessing requires that one give from it to taste to a minor who has reached the age of training in blessings, as is written in siman 269 and 559 — nevertheless, the cup of circumcision, whose blessing was instituted for the sake of the circumcised infant, therefore it is sufficient when they give him to drink.

And nevertheless one must be careful that they give him to drink a little from the cup, apart from what they place in his mouth when he says: "In your blood, live" (Yechezkel 16:6).

6 And there are those who practice that they recite the blessing over the cup and give to the infants to taste, as on Tisha B'Av.

And even though one should not practice thus at the outset on Yom Kippur, for the reason that was explained above — nevertheless, one should not protest against those who practice permission.

7 In Musaf the chazan says the Order of the Avodah.

Because the essence of the service of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur was in the Musaf offerings. For in the midst of their offering he would perform all the service of the day that is stated in Parshas Acharei Mos.

8 Ten times the Kohen Gadol would mention the Ineffable Name as it is written, on Yom Kippur.

Three times in the first confession: "Please, Lord, I have sinned," etc. "Please, Lord, atone," etc. "Before the Lord you shall be cleansed" (Vayikra 16:30).

And likewise three times in the second confession. And likewise three times in the third confession. And one time at the lots, when he said: "For the Lord, a sin offering."

And every place where the Kohen Gadol would mention the Ineffable Name, we say: "HaShem," and we do not say "Adonai" as in all our prayers.

So that it should not appear that the Kohen Gadol too would say it with the appellation of Lordship as we say it.

Therefore we say "HaShem" plainly, by allusion — to indicate that the Kohen Gadol would mention here the Ineffable Name.

Except for "Before the Lord you shall be cleansed," which we say with the appellation of the Name of Lordship. Because we do not come here to say how the Kohen Gadol would mention the Name, but rather our intent is to read the verse as is our manner to read in the Torah, that is, with the appellation of Lordship.

And likewise when we say: "For the Lord, a sin offering," we say it with the appellation of Lordship as is our manner to read in the Torah. For it is said in the Torah: "Upon which the lot fell for the Lord, and he shall make it a sin offering" (Vayikra 16:9).

And nevertheless, since in the Torah we read somewhat differently from what they say on Yom Kippur — for behold on Yom Kippur they do not say the word "and he shall make it" — therefore it is proper to act in the best possible manner and to say: "For HaShem, a sin offering."

9 But when they say the petition of the Kohen Gadol, that is: "May it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our fathers," etc., "and concerning the people of the Sharon." He says: "May it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our fathers," etc. — they say all the mentions of the Divine Name in it with the appellation of Lordship — for the Kohen Gadol too would say here with the appellation of Lordship.

10 And even though our intent in saying this petition is to relate how the Kohen Gadol would petition.

Even so, there is not here a mention of the Name of Heaven in vain — since our intent is also to pray for ourselves. For behold we add in it several petitions that the Kohen Gadol did not say at all. Such as: "That You bring us up in joy to our land," and the like.

11 And in all three of these confessions they say at the beginning: "Please, Ha[Shem]," etc., and afterward: "Please, by the Name, atone now," etc. — for when he asks for mercy regarding the atonement, he should say: "Please, by the Name," that is to say, that the Holy One, blessed be He, should save by means of the Essential Name, which is complete mercy. (Without any admixture of judgment at all.)

12 And they practice to fall upon their faces when they say: "And the kohanim and the people," etc. And also at "Aleinu L'Shabei'ach."

But the chazan is forbidden to move from his place at the time of the prayer and to go backward in order to fall upon his face. And one should protest against those who do so.

And they practice that the chazan stands at the outset somewhat distant from the reader's desk, in such a manner that he will not need to move his feet in order to fall upon his face.

13 The order of the confession: "I have sinned, I have been iniquitous, I have willfully transgressed." Because sins — they are the inadvertent transgressions. And iniquities — they are the deliberate ones, that is to say, the transgressions that he did intentionally, in that he knew that it is forbidden to do them and did them for his own pleasure. And willful transgressions — they are acts of rebellion, that is to say, that he does them to provoke and not for the sake of his pleasure. And he must confess first regarding the lighter and afterward regarding the more severe.

14 And they practice to mention souls on Yom Kippur. And they vow charity on their behalf. Because the dead too have atonement on Yom Kippur. And therefore it is called "Kippurim," in the plural. For the living and for the dead. And when they vow charity on their behalf, it avails them to atone on their behalf. Because the Holy One, blessed be He, examines hearts and knows that had they been alive they too would have given charity.

But if he vows charity on behalf of one who was wicked — it avails him nothing.

15 One who grieves over the death of the sons of Aharon, and sheds tears over them on Yom Kippur — his iniquities are forgiven, and his sons do not die in his lifetime.

16 And it is a mitzvah to study the Mishnayos of Yoma on Yom Kippur — so that the recitation should ascend in place of the offering.

Also in the Gemara at the end of Yoma there are teachings that speak of the virtues of repentance.

17 And a Torah scholar should not occupy himself with Torah and withdraw himself from praying the prayers and the Selichos and the supplications together with the congregation.