Yom Kippur: Day of Atonement

The last of the Jewish Days of Repentance

Sep 30, 2006

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest of Jewish holidays, strictly observed by even most secular Jews.

The Jews believe that on Rosh HaShanah, God inscribes 3 books with the names of the wicked, the pious, and the largest intermediate class. The verdict for the extremes is determined without delay. But those in the intermediate group have a chance to influence their fate until the tenth Day of Awe: Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement (10 Tishri). Those whom God, on that day, finds worthy, are inscribed in the Book of Life.

So over the Ten Days, the Jews increase their repentance, say the prayers of forgiveness (the “slihot”), and do deeds of charity. Especially on Yom Kippur they adopt many restrictions, the bare bones of which are told by God to Moses, on Mount Sinai (Leviticus 23:32): Yom Kippur is to be “a sabbath of sabbaths”, work is prohibited, and there will be fasting and a fire offering.

The Mishnah (part of the Talmud) decrees that one abstains from eating and even the drinking of water, washing and bathing, anointing one’s body (so no cosmetics or deoderants), wearing leather shoes, and sexual relations (Yoma 8:1). The fast is extended for an hour before sundown. But it is a commandment to eat a large and festive meal before (click here for more on food before and after Yom Kippur). And, unlike Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur lasts only one day, because extending it for a second day would mean undue hardship.

Most of the day is spent in the Temple, where the liturgy follows the “machzor”, the special prayer book also used on Rosh HaShanah. The first, evening service is called “Kol Nidre”, a prayer in Aramaic meaning “all vows”, asking God to annul the “bribes” one may try to make with God mistakenly and may not be able to keep. The next morning, Jews enter the synagogue early, and some pray all day, while others take a short break. Prayers are exceptionally interspersed with “selichot” or penitential prayers, and “viddui” (or “vidduy”), a standardized confession. All sins are confessed in the plural, emphasizing communal responsibility.

The final service is exclusive to Yom Kippur: the “Ne’ilah” (Hebrew), meaning “locked”, to symbolize the closing of the gates of heaven. During the hour-long service, the ark (the cabinet where the scrolls of the Torah are kept) is kept open for maximum communication with God, and so the congregation must keep standing. The end of the holiday is at nightfall, when the tekiah gedolag, a long blastoff the shofar, is blown.