Yom Kippur
The Day of Atonement
Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is the most important and sacred of the Jewish holidays. Even casual Jews will usually observe this holy day by refraining from work, attending services at a local synagogue and fasting.
Yom Kippur History
According to tradition, God inscribes the fate of each person for the upcoming year into a book 10 days before Yom Kippur, on Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year’s Day. Since God waits till Yom Kippur to “seal” the book, a Jewish person has those 10 days of repentance to atone for his or her behavior and seek forgiveness for any wrongs against their fellow man and against God. Yom Kippur was established as the day for public and private confessions of sin; at the end of the night and day that comprises Yom Kippur, God has provided redemption.
The actual Yom Kippur date varies slightly each year; in 2009, Yom Kippur starts at sunset on September 27 and will conclude with nightfall on September 28. For 2010, the dates for Yom Kippur are September 17 to 18. The Muslim holiday of Ramadan follows a somewhat similar shift in date from year to year, since both religions follow lunar calendars.
Yom Kippur Traditions
Yom Kippur is considered a complete Sabbath day, meaning that no work can be performed. In addition, no food or drink may be consumed, even water. There are exceptions to the fasting requirement; children, pregnant women and people with medical conditions are not required to fast. There is a large and festive meal held during the afternoon on the day before Yom Kippur.
White clothing is traditionally worn on Yom Kippur, as white symbolizes purity, which is the desired state at the end of Yom Kippur. Married men often wear a kittel, which is a white robe-style garment, for the evening prayers on Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur services at synagogues are held on the evening the event starts as well as the next day; there are morning prayers, afternoon prayers and a final prayer service just before sunset to conclude the holy day. The services end with the blowing of the shofar, a horn shaped like a ram’s horn.
Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah greetings are often exchanged. For those living far away, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur ecards are a thoughtful way to remember someone during this holy time; the ecards are available on many online sites often at no charge.
