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- DictionaryYom Kip·pur/ˌyôm kiˈpo͝or/
noun
- 1. the most solemn religious fast of the Jewish year, the last of the ten days of penitence that begin with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year).
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What Is Yom Kippur? The Day of Atonement. Yom Kippur In Brief. What: Yom Kippur fast day is the holiest day of the year, when we are closest to G‑d and to the essence of our souls. Yom Kippur means “Day of Atonement,” as the verse states, “For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before G‑d .” 1.
May 8, 2024 · Yom Kippur, most solemn of Jewish religious holidays, observed on the 10th day of the lunar month of Tishri (in the course of September and October), when Jews seek to expiate their sins and achieve reconciliation with God. Yom Kippur concludes the “10 days of repentance” that begin with Rosh Hashana (New Year’s Day) on the first day of ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- What is Yom Kippur?Yom Kippur is the most solemn of Jewish religious holidays, when Jews seek to expiate their sins and achieve reconciliation with God. It concludes...
- What is the purpose of Yom Kippur?The purpose of Yom Kippur is to effect individual and collective purification by the practice of forgiveness of the sins of others and by sincere r...
- How is Yom Kippur observed?Jewish congregations spend the eve of Yom Kippur and the entire day in prayer and meditation. The services on Yom Kippur continue from morning to e...
- What time of year is Yom Kippur observed?Yom Kippur is a Jewish religious holiday observed on the 10th day of the lunar month of Tishri (which occurs in September or October).
- Overview
- Origins and meaning of Yom Kippur
- How Yom Kippur is celebrated
This day of atonement marks the end of the Jewish high holy days—and offers a chance for people to change their fate through prayer, repentance, and charity.
From guilt to mourning and self-abnegation to resolve, Yom Kippur is the emotional climax of the Jewish faith’s high holy days—a holiday period that kicks off with Rosh Hashanah, the observance of the Jewish New Year.
Tradition has it that the holiday originated with the prophet Moses. After God gave Moses the Ten Commandments atop Mount Sinai, Moses returned to the Israelites. During his prolonged absence, they began worshiping a golden calf, considered a false idol. In anger, he smashed the commandments, set in stone, then headed back up the mountain to pray for God’s forgiveness for himself and his people. Moses returned with a second set of the Ten Commandments—and God’s forgiveness for Israel.
Yom Kippur marks the end of the Days of Awe, or Days of Repentance, that begin with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. During the 10-day period, a person is thought to be able to influence God’s plans for the coming year. In the Mishnah, the legal text that dictates Jewish daily life, God is portrayed as inscribing people’s names in one of three books on Rosh Hashanah: a book that records the names of good people, a book of evil people, and a book of people who are neither totally wicked nor righteous.
(Here's what you need to know about Rosh Hashanah.)
Jews believe that they can perform acts of prayer, repentance, and charity during the Days of Awe to influence God, changing how they are categorized before the books are sealed on Yom Kippur.
The holiday begins at sundown and lasts until sundown the following day. 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 nonobservant Jews attend synagogue.
(The unusual history of the bagel—beloved for breaking the fast.)
Synagogue is a critical part of Yom Kippur, offering five prayer services. During each one, the congregation confesses its sins collectively. Some attendees wear white clothing or a kittel, a white garment that symbolizes a burial shroud, the clothing of angels, and the purity of forgiveness.
The first service, which takes place at sundown, includes the Kol Nidrei declaration, in which the congregation prays that any vows to God that cannot be fulfilled during the coming year be declared null and void. The declaration is thought to have become part of the ceremony as a way of allowing Jews who had endured forced conversions to return to their faith on the day of atonement. Historically, it has served as a pretext for anti-Semitism among those who claim it offers Jewish people a blanket permission to ignore their promises (it does not).
Since Jewish tradition dictates that God judges both the dead and the living, the first daytime service includes the Yizkor, a mourning service in which people recite a prayer on the behalf of a lost parent or loved one. Survivors also promise to perform acts of charity in the hopes of ensuring God’s positive judgment for their loved ones.
During the final service, which represents the “closing” of the gates of Heaven and the sealing of God’s book, those who can remain standing do so, and the entire congregation rededicates itself to the spiritual tenets of Judaism through prayer.
The name “Yom Kippur” means “Day of Atonement,” and it is a day set aside to “afflict the soul,” to atone for the sins of the past year. During the Days of Awe, God inscribes all of our names in either the book of life or death. On Yom Kippur, the judgment entered in these books is sealed.
The Meaning of the Yom Kippur Holiday. Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, takes place 10 days after Rosh Hashanah. “Atonement” means acknowledging our misdeeds during the past year, looking for opportunities to apologize or make things right and asking for forgiveness and a fresh start.
Sep 22, 2020 · What is Yom Kippur? If you ask any Jewish person, “what is the holiest day of the year?”, they will tell you without hesitation: Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement. God set it apart already in the days of Moses. In the Bible and in Israel today, it can be referred to as the day of redemption, purification and reconciliation.
