What is Yom Kippur?
What to know about the Jewish holiday and how Jewish people observe it.
Honoring Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur, otherwise known as the Day of Atonement, is often considered the holiest day of the Jewish year: “For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you can be cleansed from all your sins before G-d.”
On the holy day of Yom Kippur, people of the Jewish faith ask God- which is expressed in ancient Jewish texts as “G-d”- for forgiveness and a secure future.
For nearly 26 hours before Yom Kippur, the Jewish faithful “afflict their souls,” abstaining from eating, drinking, washing, bathing, applying lotions or creams, wearing leather footwear, and marital relations. The holy day begins on Sunday evening and ends Monday evening. The time in between is spent in Synagogue, praying for forgiveness.
Extra charity is encouraged and given at Synagogue where special charity trays are set up before the afternoon service. Observant Jews attend worship services during this time, where the Machzor- a prayer book used during holy days- is read and prayers are recited.
In Synagogue, the observance of Yom Kippur includes five prayer services.
Maariv
The first observation is Maariv, with its solemn Kol Nidrei service, on the eve of Yom Kippur.
Kol Nidrei means “all vows” and is a formal declaration saying that any vows unintentionally made during the coming year should be considered null and void. The sacred declaration is made so that Jewish people can come to Yom Kippur with no strings attached.
The other two parts of the service are Maariv, the evening prayer; and Selichot, or “forgivenesses,” which is a collection of poetic prayers asking G-d for forgiveness.
Shacharit
The second service is Shacharit, the morning prayer beginning with introductory hymns to G-d, followed by Shema, which includes the angelic proclamation of “Baruch shem.”