What Is Yom Kippur? Here's Everything You Need to Know About the Day of Atonement
While gentiles and non-Jews are likely familiar with more "mainstream" Jewish Holidays, like Hanukkah and Passover, they may not be as familiar with one of the most important days of the year in Judaism, Yom Kippur. Unlike Hanukkah and Passover, which are considered celebratory holidays, Yom Kippur is a solemn day dedicated to time spent mindfully reflecting on the sins one has committed over the past year, then earnestly asking God for forgiveness.
If you want to learn more Yom Kippur and why it's the holiest day for Jews, Woman's Day spoke to Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum, MJEd, of Temple Beth Zion, who explained what the sacred day is all about.
When is Yom Kippur?
Also known as the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. The holiday is celebrated over an approximately 25-hour period, beginning on the tenth day of Tishrei (which, in 2020, begins on the evening of Sunday, September 27, and lasts until nightfall on Monday, September 28, as the Jewish calendar is lunar). Tishrei is the first month of the Jewish year (or the seventh month, when counting from Nisan) and usually occurs over 30 days in September and October on the Gregorian calendar.
Yom Kippur signals the end of the Ten Days of Repentance, or the Days of Awe, which begin with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Those 10 days include the Fast of Gedaliah, which is on the third day of Tishri, and Shabbat Shuvah, which is the Shabbat (the Saturday) between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. After the solemn High Holidays, or High Holy Days, of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Tishrei concludes with the festive holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah.
What is the significance of Yom Kippur?
According to Rav Tiferet, Yom Kippur is based on Leviticus 23:26-32. After the people of Israel made their exodus from Egypt, they sinned by worshipping a golden calf. (According to the Ten Commandments, it is a sin to recognize any other Gods or worship any idols.) As a result, Moses ascended Mount Sinai and prayed to God, asking him to forgive them. God said the tenth day of the seventh month would henceforth be a day of fasting, repenting, and refraining from manual labor. In addition to engaging in intense prayer to repent for sins, it is traditional to give tzedakah, or charity, on or before this day.
"While we have daily, weekly, and monthly repentance practices, Yom Kippur is an annual opportunity to realign with our innermost selves and our God in a personal and communal way," Rav Tiferet says. "We strive to focus on the spiritual side of our being rather than the physical on this day, and we do this through communal confessions of the sins of humanity as well as our individual sins before our God." Prohibitions include eating or drinking, bathing or washing, and marital relationships, among other things. Refraining from these activities symbolically represent self-deprivation and a return to a pristine state.
How is Yom Kippur celebrated?
While ultra-Orthodox communities will observe Yom Kippur differently than secular Jews, Rav Tiferet says the day traditionally involves fasting, wearing white to represent purity, and abstaining from wearing makeup, jewelry, or leather. The ninth day of Tishrei, or the eve of Yom Kippur, is often dedicated to preparing for the holy day and is celebrated with additional morning and afternoon prayers, asking others for forgiveness, giving charity, eating two festive meals, and for some, performing the kaparot ceremony.
Yom Kippur itself is largely spent in synagogue, where there are five prayer services: Maariv (which is done on the eve of Yom Kippur), Shacharit, Musaf, Minchah, and Neilah. Shacharit, the morning prayer, often includes a reading from Leviticus, while Minchah includes the reading of the Book of Jonah. Rav Tiferet says the story of the reluctant prophet Jonah is especially significant on Yom Kippur. "The story of Jonah and the whale is a story about communal repentance, as well as an individual trying to run from the service that God is calling him to do," she explains.
The day is all about cleansing oneself of sin and dedicating time to introspection, which is why active prayer is so important. "The day is marked by long services in the synagogue, with many prayers being repeated over and over again to let the words enter our own hearts so that we can pray them more deeply," Rav Tiferet explains. "These go from the night before through to the next evening, where the end of the day of atonement is concluded with a long shofar's blast (a ram's horn) followed by a meal to break fast."
Yom Kippur is a day of repentance, so wishing friends who observe the holiday a "happy Yom Kippur" doesn't quite fit the tone of this sacred day. If you want to acknowledge the holy day, wish your Jewish friends an easy or meaningful fast instead. They're sure to appreciate the gesture.
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