The 13th of Shevat , Jan 20 in Jewish History

On this day, the 13th of Shevat, in 1790, the France Government granted full and equal citizenship to the Sephardic Jews. This was enabled due to the French Revolution, which was the cause to new ideals of Enlightenment to be adopted, and thus permitting the Sephardic Jews to enter the highest levels of government and finance.

Sometime in the year1807, Napoleon created the French Sanhedrin, a Jewish communal structure sanctioned by the state. (The French Sanhedrin sat in a semicircle, following the custom of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem that served as the Jewish supreme court during the times of the Holy Temple.)(See photo above of French Coin issued in honor of the Sanhedrin). Despite all these Jewish liberties, anti-Jewish measures were still passed in 1808. Napoleon declared all debts owed to Jews annulled, which caused the near ruin of the Jewish community. Restrictions were also placed bu the French as to where Jews could live. This was done in an effort to assimilate the French Jewish Community into the French society. The anti-Jewish nature by the French Government was clearly seen in the 1940s, when the French regime rounded up over 61,000 Jews and handed the over to the Nazis, for a purpose well known to all.

Yom Kippur is a fast day decreed in the Bible. Abstaining from food is meant to improve one's ability to focus on repentance. The Yom Kippur begins before sunset on the evening before Yom Kippur and ends after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur.

Why fast on Yom Kippur? Spiritual elevation is a pre-requisite for true repentance. One way to achieve spiritual elevation is to abstain from the physical. Five activities that are forbidden on Yom Kippur:

a)eating and drinking
b)marital relations
c)washing
d)wearing leather shoes
e)applying lotions

What are the best ways to prepare for the Yom Kippur fast?

While feeling hunger pains is an acceptable part of the fast experience, one must be extra cautious not to dehydrate, faint or get sick while fasting.

There are several ways to prepare yourself physically for a healthy fast.

1) A few days before the fast, minimize caffeine intake in order to reduce Caffeine withdrawel headaches

2) The day before the fast, eat something small every two hours, avoid salt, and drink as much water as possible.

3) Plan the final meal before the fast early enough in the afternoon to avoid rushing to finish before the fast begins. This will allow enough time to eat slowly, thus actually consuming more food

4) Plan the menu of this final meal so that it contains high carbohydrate and low salt foods.

5) Do not eat too much in the meal before the fast, but drink plenty of water.

6) Leave time after the meal to brush your teeth. This will leave you a fresher taste in your mouth throughout the fast.

What food is should one eat after the fast? Most people break the fast with coffee and cake. Many have the custome to eat on this night a full Jewish Holiday meal.

Praying on Yom Kippur. Now it's easier then ever to keep up with Yom Kippur Services, since there are many Hebrew Machzors available with english translation. My favorite Machzor is The Schottenstein Edition Machzor for Yom Kippur With an Interlinear Translation. The reason I like it is because it has the translation right next to the Hebrew words, which makes it easy to read.

Wishing a easy fast to all!