YOM KIPPUR - October 5, 2022 - National Today

History of Yom Kippur

Out of all the holy days in the Jewish faith, Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year. Literally meaning “the day of atonement,” Yom Kippur encompasses all the emotions for spiritual ablution — from guilt to mourning to resolve. The holiday takes place on the 10th day of Tishrei — the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. 

According to tradition, Yom Kippur originated from the time of Prophet Moses. After he received the Ten Commandments from God at the top of Mount Sinai, Moses went back to the Israelites. In his absence, they had started worshiping the false idol of a golden calf. In a fit of anger, Moses smashed the commandments, inscribed on stone, and then headed back up the mountain to seek God’s forgiveness and repent for himself and his people. He then returned with a second set of the Ten Commandments and God’s forgiveness.

Yom Kippur marks the end of these 10 Days of Repentance, which begin with the Jewish New Year — Rosh Hashanah. During this time, it is believed that an individual can influence God’s decree for the coming year. The legal code of conduct for life that Jews follow, the Mishnah, portrays God as inscribing names of people in one of three books on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah: one book for recording names of good people, the second book for names of wrongdoers, and the third book for those who are not on either side of the scale. 

Jews believe that through extensive acts of prayer, charity, and repentance during the Days of Awe, the book their names are written in can be changed before Yom Kippur. The holiday starts at sunset until sunset the following day. Atonement for sins is achieved through acts of fasting, abstinence from sexual relations, applying lotions, wearing leather shoes, and washing and bathing. Visiting the synagogue is also tradition, although not all Jews observe every aspect of Yom Kippur.