Yom Kippur

For practicing Jewish people across the world, Yom Kippur represents the holiest day of the year. In simplest terms, Yom Kippur is the "Day of Atonement," and is celebrated on the tenth day of the month of Tishrei on the Hebrew calendar. This period of time corresponds to a date somewhere in the months of September of October on the Gregorian Calendar.

Yom Kippur occurs ten days after the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. As the day of atonement, Yom Kippur is the day of the year where one must make amends for the sins committed during the past year. Jewish religious beliefs hold that starting on Rosh Hashanah and continuing through the days leading up to Yom Kippur, God writes one's name in a book that describes their sins and fate and that one has until Yom Kippur to atone for the sins and redeem himself in the eyes of God. This book is referred to as the Book of Life. Yom Kippur absolves men from sins they have committed against God and not those that they have committed against their own mankind. Those sins are negated by making up with the other person and resolving any issues that may exist between the two before Yom Kippur occurs.

Yom Kippur originates in the Bible in the Book of Leviticus. In Leviticus 16:29, it is written:

"In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and you shall not do any work ... For on that day he shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins before the Lord."

Jewish tradition holds that several practices should be followed on Yom Kippur. First and above all, in Leviticus 23:27 it is mandated that Yom Kippur should be a day of rest where no work can be done and prayer should be taken in a synagogue. Also according to orthodox traditions, Yom Kippur is a day of fasting. Fasting is the practice of refraining from ingesting food or water. Generally, a fast for Yom Kippur begins before the sun sets on the day prior to Yom Kippur and ends when the sun sets on the day of Yom Kippur itself. Another tradition prohibits the wearing on leather shoes on Yom Kippur. Several places in the Bible state that wearing leather shoes in Holy places is prohibited. Also, wearing shoes can be a comfort and since Yom Kippur is a day about atonement, one should refrain from anything pleasurable. Jewish traditions also tell observers of Yom Kippur that they should not bathe or wash their bodies because a person's physical appearances should take a secondary role to a person's spiritual well being. Closely associated with bathing is the prohibition of the application of perfume and lotion. Finally, sexual relations are also strictly prohibited. The restrictions of Yom Kippur can be lifted for young children, pregnant women, and those who have certain medical conditions such as hypoglycemia.

Proper clothing is required to be worn on the day of Yom Kippur. Clothing should be conservative and reserved with no jewelry or accessories. Men traditionally wear a white robe called a Kittel.

Observers of Yom Kippur spend much of the day in a synagogue participating in prayer services and religious introspection. There are prayer services throughout the day. In contrast to other holy days on the Hebrew calendar, on Yom Kippur, there are five prayer services rather than three. The first service called the Kol Nidrei occurs on the evening that the fast for Yom Kippur beings. The next morning, observers of the holiday participate in morning prayers called the Schacharit in which sections of the Torah are read along with other holy texts. One of the addtional prayer services held on Yom Kippur is the Musaf service which explains the importance of the holiday. Following that, the afternoon service or Minchah begins where more texts from the Torah are read as well as the book of Jonah. Finally, Yom Kippur comes to a close with the evening service, the Ne'ilah. During this service, the fate of the observer is symbolically sealed and finalized in the Book of Life. Finally, horn is blown and a candle blown out which signifies the end of the observances, the lifting of restrictions, and the beginning of a clean spiritual slate for the rest of the year.