LOS ANGELES -- Shawn Green hit his 48th home run to tie the game in an eventual 9-5 Los Angeles victory over San Francisco Tuesday night. The win kept the Dodgers in contention in the National League West, moving it two games behind the Giants and 3½ behind Arizona. The Dodgers have 10 games left in the season, including tonight's series finale with the rival Giants.

	Shawn Green won't be in the Dodger lineup for religious reasons.

Green will not play tonight, though. He won't even be at Dodger Stadium.

Instead, he will observe Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, which begins at sundown tonight and lasts until sundown Thursday. It is the holiest day in the Jewish year and Green's religion is more important to him than his sport.

Green said this is the first time Yom Kippur has fallen on a day that forced him to miss a game.

"I knew I would eventually be faced with it," he said. "There was a time in Toronto, when it was a day-night game situation where both games just missed it. So this is the first time I've had to make the decision and it really wasn't an option for me. I just feel it's the right thing to do."

In addition to not playing, Green also is donating his day's salary (approximately $70,000) to a charity providing relief in New York City.

Green is not the first Dodger to observe Yom Kippur in such fashion, of course. Sandy Koufax famously sat out Game 1 of the 1965 World Series. The Dodgers lost that game (Don Drysdale started in his place) but Koufax came back to shut out the Twins twice to lead Los Angeles to the championship. More importantly, he set an example to Jewish youth.

"I would feel guilty playing on that day anyway but it's definitely the right example to set," Green said. "There are a lot of Jewish kids out there who don't want to go to synagogue that day or on a holiday. I think Sandy set a precedent on that and made my decision so much easier.

	“	I would feel guilty playing on that day anyway but it's definitely the right example to set. There are a lot of Jewish kids out there who don't want to go to synagogue that day or on a holiday. I think Sandy (Koufax) set a precedent on that and made my decision so much easier. ”
		— Shawn Green

"He was a hero to my father growing up and all my relatives who were baseball fans. All Jewish fans worshipped Sandy Koufax. You still hear all the folklore about it."

Green said he talked briefly about the issue with Koufax this spring. "He said you've got to do what you've got to do and that's all there is to it," he said. "It's your decision and no one else's. ...

"I've gotten a lot more response than I thought. I really didn't expect it to become as big a thing as it's become. But I'm very thankful the organization respects my decision, as well as the majority of fans who have e-mailed and sent letters. I really haven't heard anything negative. I'm sure there are a few people here and there who don't understand or don't agree. People tell me there have been call-ins on the radio about it but I didn't do it to gain approval or disapproval with the fans. It's just something I feel is the right thing to do and the right example to set for the kids."

When the Blue Jays traded Green to the Dodgers two years ago, the outfielder said he wanted to be dealt to a major city with a large Jewish population. He said he has observed Yom Kippur the past four or five years. "Whether I'm more religious isn't the issue," he said, "it's respecting the holiday, observing the holiday, respecting my roots."

Jim Caple is a senior writer for ESPN.com