What is Yom Kippur?

What is Yom Kippur and when do we mark it?

‘Yom Kippur’ means the ‘Day of Atonement’. That is, the day when we try to make up for any wrong things we have done. It is a day of fasting which starts at sunset on the 10^th of Tishrei and finishes when night falls on the 11^th Tishrei.

Yom Kippur is also called ‘The Sabbath of Sabbaths’. It is the most sacred day in the Jewish year. It is the day when God decides what will happen to every Jewish person in the year ahead.

Asking forgiveness and making up for our sins

Yom Kippur is not like other special Jewish days. It does not remind us about something that happened to the Jewish people in our long history. Instead, it is all about each individual Jewish person’s behaviour.

According to the famous Jewish writer Maimonides (the Rambam), we all have the choice of what kind of person we want to be. Just like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, each person can choose to be evil or good. Judaism teaches us that we have the power to decide which path we take.

Every person makes mistakes. We may even commit sins from time to time. Yom Kippur gives us the chance to ask forgiveness and make up for our sins. On the days leading up to Yom Kippur we can ask forgiveness from people for anything we have done that has caused them sadness or harm. On Yom Kippur itself we can confess our sins to God and pray for His forgiveness.

What do we do on Yom Kippur?

On the day before Yom Kippur

KAPPAROT

During the morning before Yom Kippur, some people do kapparot, which is a custom that reminds us of the sacrifices made in the Temple in ancient times. Kapparot is when a person takes a chicken and ‘transfers’ his/her sins into it. This is done by waving the chicken around your head three times and reciting a prayer. The chicken is then donated to charity. These days, instead of using a chicken, some people donate money to charity.

EATING BEFORE KOL NIDRE

It is considered a mitzvah (commandment) to eat well on the day before Yom Kippur. The reason for Jewish adults’ fasting is not to make them suffer, but rather to help them think about praying, rather than eating or doing other ‘worldly’ things. The final meal before Yom Kippur should be a joyful one. At the end of the meal, children are blessed by their father.

LIGHTING A MEMORIAL CANDLE

Before leaving home to go to the Kol Nidre service at synagogue we light a memorial candle at home. This candle burns for 24 hours. It reminds us of all those people who have died, in our own families and in the world.

On the day of Yom Kippur

CLOTHING

It is a custom to wear white clothing on Yom Kippur. This is because white is the colour of purity and our wanting to be close to God.  White clothing also reminds us of the white robes worn by angels. Women wear white clothes and men may wear a kittel (long white garment).

(The curtain across the ark and the Torah covers are the white ones that have been used since Rosh Hashanah. They show that "our mistakes will be whitened like snow.")

We do not wear leather shoes and women do not wear makeup on Yom Kippur as these are signs of vanity. That is, they show that we are trying to look beautiful, and on Yom Kippur we should not be worried about how we look at all.

THINGS WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DO ON YOM KIPPUR

There are five things forbidden on Yom Kippur:

1.      eating and drinking

2.      washing yourself

3.      putting on oil, perfume or makeup

4.      wearing leather shoes and

5.      kissing, hugging, etc between adults

ADULTS FAST

On Yom Kippur Jewish adults fast, that is people over the age of Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Even pregnant women and women who are nursing their babies. They do not eat or drink from sunset until the end of the next day. Children do not have to fast. Sometimes, just before their Bar or Bat Mitzvahs, children like to practise fasting. Adults who are sick do not have to fast, but they are not allowed to eat rich or fancy foods, like chocolate.