What is Yom Kippur?

“For on this day, He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before God.” — Leviticus 16:30

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year and marks a time for atonement through fasting and prayer. National Geographic’s recent article shares that, from guilt to mourning and self-abnegation to resolve, Yom Kippur is the emotional climax of the Jewish faith’s high holy days. It marks the end of the Days of Awe, or Days of Repentance, that begin with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.

Yom Kippur means “day of atonement” and takes place on the tenth day of Tishri, the first month of the civil year, and the seventh month of the religious year in the lunisolar Hebrew calendar. This 2022, Yom Kippur begins at sunset on October 4 (the evening service begins with Kol Nidre) and ends at nightfall on October 5.

WHEN IT BEGAN

Chabad shares how it began, just months after the people of Israel left Egypt in the year 2448 from creation (1313 BCE), they sinned by worshipping a golden calf. Moses ascended Mount Sinai and prayed to God to forgive them.

During that time, the people built the Tabernacle, which was a center for prayers and sacrificial offerings. They added that the service in the Tabernacle climaxed on Yom Kippur when the High Priest would perform a specially prescribed service. Highlights of this service included offering incense in the Holy of Holies (where the ark was housed) and the lottery with two goats — one of which was brought as a sacrifice, the other being sent out to the wilderness (Azazel).

It was a time when Jews sought to expiate their sins and achieve reconciliation with God. The ceremony is concluded when a goat (the scapegoat), symbolically carrying the sins of Israel, was driven to its death in the wilderness.

OBSERVING YOM KIPPUR

According to Britannica, the Bible refers to Yom Kippur as Shabbat Shabbaton or “Sabbath of Solemn Rest” because, even though the holy day may fall on a weekday, it is on this day that solemnity and cessation of work are most complete.

History shares that Yom Kippur is Judaism’s most sacred day of the year; it is sometimes referred to as the “Sabbath of Sabbaths”. For this reason, even Jews who do not observe other traditions refrain from work, which is forbidden during the holiday, and participate in religious services on Yom Kippur, causing synagogue attendance to soar.

The prayer services include liturgical texts, songs, and customs, rabbis and their congregations read from a special prayer book known as the machzor during both Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. Five distinct prayer services take place on Yom Kippur, the first on the eve of the holiday and the last before sunset on the following day. One of the most important prayers specific to Yom Kippur describes the atonement ritual performed by high priests during ancient times.

An essential and emblematic part of Yom Kippur is the blowing of the shofar — a trumpet made from a ram’s horn. On this day, a single long blast is sounded at the end of the final service to mark the conclusion of the fast.

TRADITIONS

In Erin Blakemore’s article, Why Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year, she shares that during Yom Kippur, work is forbidden, and atonement for sins of the previous year is expressed through “afflictions” including fasting and refraining from washing or bathing, sexual relations, wearing leather shoes, and applying lotions or creams.

Though not all Jews observe all aspects of the holiday, it’s known as the one holiday on which many non-observant Jews attend synagogue. Yom Kippur is marked by these traditions, but beyond specific actions, it is a day dedicated to introspection, prayer, and asking God for forgiveness.

Here are additional marked traditions during the observance of Yom Kippur as shared in Chabad News:

• Pre-Yom Kippur feast: On the eve of Yom Kippur, families and friends gather for a bountiful feast that must be finished before sunset. The idea is to gather strength for 25 hours of fasting.
• Breaking of the fast: After the final Yom Kippur service, many people return home for a festive meal. It traditionally consists of breakfast-like comfort foods such as blintzes, noodle pudding, and baked goods.
• Wearing white: It is customary for religious Jews to dress in white — a symbol of purity — on Yom Kippur. Some married men wear kittels, which are white burial shrouds, to signify repentance.
• Charity: Some make donations or volunteer their time in the days leading up to Yom Kippur. This is seen as a way to atone and seek God’s forgiveness. One ancient custom known as kapparot involves swinging a live chicken or bundle of coins over one’s head while reciting a prayer. The chicken or money is then given to the poor.

SIGNIFICANCE AND PURPOSE

Yom Kippur brings about individual and collective purification through the practice of forgiveness of the sins of others and by sincere repentance for one’s own sins against God.

It remains to be a constant reminder that God grants redemption to His people.

Dr. Laura Shaw Frank of AJC shares her insights on how significant Yom Kippur is in our lives. While Yom Kippur is a day for private introspection, it is also a day of powerful communal connection. The confessional statements recited throughout the day are worded in the plural — we seek forgiveness for the sin WE committed.

It is a clear illustration that together, we can overcome the obstacles in our path. By facing our wrongdoing as a collective, we elevate the entire community. We are not mourning our past missteps so much as facing up to them, and truly repenting for them so that we can unburden ourselves and wipe our slate clean for a new year.

As Yom Kippur ends on a high, we have faith that our sins have been forgiven.