Yom Kippur Prayer Guide
For those looking to familiarize themselves with the holiday’s prayers or refresh their memories before Yom Kippur, we’ve put together a guide below that includes many prayers and piyutim (liturgical poems) sung over the course of the holiday.
Each prayer includes the prayer’s text in Hebrew, English translation and often English transliteration (excerpted from the Zemirot HaMizraḥ prayer book), along with one or more sound clips. We’ve included the prayers in the order they appear during the holiday, starting with Yom Kippur Eve, although many prayers repeat throughout the holiday’s services. If the recording does not include the entire page of the text, the starting point in highlighted in green and the ending point is highlighted in red.
We are grateful to our cantors featured in these clips — Abe Safdie and Loolwa Khazzoom — as well as to all of our community members for their contributions.
We hope you find this guide useful and look forward to celebrating with you!
Table of Contents
‘Arvit (Evening Prayer) for Yom Kippur Eve - ערבית ליל כפור
Lekha Eli - לך אלי
Opening of the Ark (For Kal Nidre) - (פתיחת ההיכל (לכל נדרי
Kal Nidre - כל נדרי
Yimlokh Adonai - ימלך יהוה
Seliḥot - סליחות
Adir VeNa-or - אדיר ונאור
Shaḥarit & Musaf (Morning Prayers) for Yom Kippur - שחרית ומוסף ליום כפור
Shin-anim Sha-ananim - שנאנים שאננים
Semeḥim Betsetam - שמחים בצאתם
Kedusha (Shaḥarit) - (קדושה (שחרית
LeMa’ankha Elohai - למענך אלהי
Alekhem Qehal ‘Edah - אליכם קהל עדה
Ḥon Taḥon - חן תחן
Kedusha (Musaf) - (קדושה (מוסף
Yisrael ‘Avadekha - ישראל עבדיך
