All About Yom Kippur

What is Yom Kippur?

Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is considered to be the most holy day of the year. It's not as much a day for the individual as it is a day for the congregation, for the nation as a whole.

Once a year, the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies on the day of Yom Kippur, on the 10th day of the seventh month, the month of Tishrei, to make atonement for the whole nation of Israel.

This solemn day is part of what we call the "High Holy Days," alongside Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah, which falls on the first of Tishrei, nine days prior. Only five days after Yom Kippur begins the joyous feast of Sukkot, which lasts seven days and is immediately followed by Simchat Torah on the 22nd of Tishrei.

Historical & Biblical Background

Origins

The origins of the Day of Atonement date back to the time after the exodus, when Israel was encamped in the wilderness at the foot of Mount Sinai. The institution of this day came after two major tragedies:

The first is the sin of the golden calf. Moses was up on the mountain, fasting for 40 days and 40 nights while receiving the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God. As he came down he discovered, to his horror, that the people sinned greatly and made an idol for themselves, the famous golden calf, which they worshipped and sacrificed to. In his anger, Moses shattered the stone tablets that God gave him, destroyed the idol and interceded before God on behalf of the people, not to destroy them. Then, Moses went back up to the mountain while fasting for another forty days and nights to have the stone tablets which God commanded him to bring rewritten by God. According to tradition, Moses came down after the second set of forty days on the mountain bearing a complete pardon on the 10th of Tishrei, which was to be known as Yom Kippur.

The second tragedy was the sin and tragic death of Aaron's two oldest sons, Nadav and Avihu, who brought near before the Lord strange fire, which he had not commanded them.

Right after this tragedy, we find the command of the institution of Yom Kippur in Leviticus 16:

Yom Kippur in the Hebrew Bible

As mentioned right above, Yom Kippur with its service and regulations shows up first in Leviticus 16. Right after the promise that God will reveal himself on that day in a cloud above the mercy seat (end of verse 2), the following verses mainly describe the offering that Aaron needs to bring for himself, what special linen garments he needs to wear and that he needs to immerse/wash his body in water beforehand. Then he receives the instruction to take from the congregation of Israel two male goats and a ram.

This is followed by a lot more detail on the two goats, which had unique roles. They were to be set before the Lord and lots were to be cast, one for the Lord and one for Azazel. (Learn more about the scapegoat here)

Besides this, this chapter talks in more detail about the sacrifice that Aaron has to bring for himself and his house, the Goat whose lot is the Lord's, the Scapegoat, the burnt offering, Aaron's duties and the address to the people that fixes the date and emphasizes that this is an eternal statute for all the people to afflict their souls on that day.

Since this chapter is the most foundational text for Yom Kippur and understanding this day, we highly recommend you study it yourself!

Besides Leviticus 16, Yom Kippur is mentioned in a few more places in the Torah:

• Leviticus 23:26-32 reaffirms the date, defines it as a strict Sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation, a day on which they have to afflict their souls, and a severe prohibition against doing any work, under penalty of being cut off from the people.

• Numbers 29:7-11 details the additional public sacrifices to be brought to God on this exact day.

• Leviticus 25:9 connects Yom Kippur with the sounding of the shofar on this very day during the year of Jubilee to proclaim liberty throughout the land, linking liberty, release and forgiveness of debts to the Day of Atonement.

Yom Kippur Throughout History

From the time the Torah was given at Mount Sinai until the end of the First Temple period and the Babylonian exile, Yom Kippur is not explicitly mentioned and tradition tells us that it was observed on its day in Solomon's Temple. After the Babylonian exile, with the onset of the Second Temple period, there are plenty of references to the observance of Yom Kippur as prescribed in Leviticus 16, as well as elaborate descriptions and discussions on how it was observed, or should be observed.

After the destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70 CE, the Jewish people continued to observe the day of Yom Kippur. Without a temple, an altar, or a high priest obviously several things had to change in practical observance. That's why the place of the assembly shifted to the synagogue where, to this day, everyone takes part in the modified Yom Kippur service in their heart, which is compared to a temple. And yet, some things stayed the same. For example, the absolute prohibition of work is still in place, and people still afflict their souls on that day.

How is Yom Kippur Observed?

Preparation

Already forty days before Yom Kippur, on the first of Elul, Jewish communities begin to blow the shofar every morning and recite Psalm 27 after morning and afternoon prayers. Some communities also begin to say the selichot prayers every morning, while others only start to do so a few days before Rosh Hashanah.

Rosh Hashanah ushers in the "Days of Awe," a ten-day period from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur that is marked by repentance, deep soul-searching, increased giving to charity as well as seeking forgiveness from others we have wronged and forgiving those who have wronged us, since, according to the Talmud, "Yom Kippur does not atone for sins between a person and his fellow until he has appeased his fellow." This echoes the principles Yeshua taught us in Matthew 5:23-24 and in Matthew 6:14-16.

According to Jewish tradition, God opens the Book of Life during this time, deciding everyone's fate before it is sealed on Yom Kippur.

On the day preceding the Day of Atonement, many have the habit of immersing themselves in the mikveh. It is customary to eat two festive meals, one in the early afternoon and another one before the beginning of the fast. Right after the last meal, the children are blessed with the priestly blessing.

The very last thing before the start of this holy day is the lighting of the holiday candles while saying the traditional blessing, plus the shehecheyanu blessing, thanking God for sustaining us and having brought us to this season.

The Day Of

As mentioned before, the three main themes for the Day of Atonement are not to work, to assemble and to afflict one's soul, as written in Leviticus 23:26-32:

Traditionally, we afflict ourselves by fasting from food and drink, not wearing leather shoes, neither washing nor bathing, not putting on cosmetics like lotions and oils, and by abstaining from marital relations.

At Roeh Israel Synagogue, we usually all book hotel rooms in the same hotel, where we share the meal together before the fast and where we rest together between the prayer services.

While traditionally there are five prayer services on Yom Kippur (Ma'ariv, Shacharit, Musaf, Minchah and Ne'ilah), at our local synagogue we have three of these services together:

• Ma'ariv on the eve of Yom Kippur

• Shacharit in the morning

• Ne'ilah as a closing service for Yom Kippur

While there are some similarities to our regular prayers in the synagogue, there are some major differences during these Yom Kippur prayer services. The first thing you might notice when entering the synagogue is that everybody is wearing white clothing. You can learn more about that here. The next thing you would notice would be that we do not pray with our regular siddur, but with a "Machzor," which is a special prayer book with unique prayers for this special holy day. While some prayers are the same, many are very different and unique. Besides the famous Avinu Malkeinu prayer, you will hear long lists of confessions of sins, pleas for forgiveness, as well as the recitation of God's 13 attributes as revealed in Exodus 34.

The evening service begins with the Kol Nidre prayer, and after the service it has become our tradition to walk together to the Kotel/the Western Wall.

During the morning service, two Torah scrolls are removed to read about the historic Yom Kippur service in the Temple from Leviticus 16, as well as about the additional "holiday" offerings as described in Numbers 29. The Haftarah is a very special portion from Isaiah 57:14-58:14, reminding us that true fasting and repentance are not just about physical abstention or bowing the head, but require moral action, feeding the hungry, freeing the oppressed, and caring for the needy.

In the afternoon, some of us rest while others read the book of Jonah together, which is traditionally read as part of the Minchah service.

Our closing service ends with the declaration of the Shema prayer and the sounding of the shofar.

Afterwards, we break the fast together. For many, it is customary to, right after Yom Kippur, begin building, or planning to build, the Sukkah for the feast of Sukkot, which follows just 5 days later.

Observing Yom Kippur at Home

If you are new to Yom Kippur or are not familiar with its prayers and customs and have no congregation nearby that you can observe this day with, click here to get to our beginner-friendly guide on how you can start observing Yom Kippur at home in a meaningful way.

Yom Kippur Traditions

Unity

Yom Kippur is considered a day of Jewish unity. On this day, people from all backgrounds and levels of observance, from secular to religious, assemble together in the synagogue and fast and pray together. In Israel, about half of all secular Jews fast on this day, which is quite remarkable!

Standstill

Another thing that one can only experience in Israel on Yom Kippur is how a whole country comes to a standstill on this day. There are no radio or television broadcasts, no public transportation, airports shut down, and all shops and businesses are closed. People do not drive their vehicles on that day and usually also refrain from playing music, though there is no legal prohibition of these. The streets are empty (except for emergency services like ambulances and police), and people just walk on the street instead of the sidewalks, and you can see children and youth riding their bicycles on the empty streets and big highways.

Traditional Greeting

Traditionally, before the beginning of the fast, people wish each other "a light fast" or "an effective fast."

When people meet and greet each other, they often wish each other "a good year" (shana tovah), as the Jewish new year is just a little over a week before Yom Kippur, as well as "a good final sealing" (gmar chatimah tovah), since, as mentioned before, it is traditionally believed that on this day one's fate for the coming year is sealed.

Since this is a rather serious holiday, it is not customary to wish each other "a happy Yom Kippur," rather, in our community we like to wish each other "a meaningful fast" (tzom mashma'uti).

The Relevance of Yom Kippur for Believers in Yeshua

At Roeh Israel Congregation, we do not believe that by fasting and praying on Yom Kippur, we achieve atonement as individuals, as our congregation's founder, Joseph, once said:

And yet, we do believe that the Day of Atonement is still deeply significant and important. There are several reasons for this:

Firstly, as students of the Bible, we need to take note of the description of the commandment:

God explicitly said that our afflicting ourselves on this day on the calendar and our refraining from work on it shall be an eternal statute, forever.

Secondly, the Bible makes a clear distinction between individual and collective sin and guilt. As pointed out in Joseph's quote above, the Day of Atonement was not meant to provide individual atonement for every Israelite. When a person committed sin, he had his individual procedures prescribed of what kind of restitution he would have to make as well as what sacrifices he had to bring, about which we can learn in the first part of the book of Leviticus. None of these were connected to a day on the calendar, and especially not to the Day of Atonement.

The Day of Atonement was for the nation as a whole, for its collective sin and guilt, on which the people were not bringing any sacrifices, but were merely to humble and afflict themselves as well as refrain from working and going about their own business, while the high priest would, as a mediator on behalf of the whole nation, bring the sacrifices and fulfill the procedure as prescribed.

This is powerful imagery, which also points us to Yeshua and is referenced in the book of Hebrews, where Yeshua is described as our High Priest, who accomplished perfect atonement for us, once and for all as the perfect sacrifice, through whom all of us have unprecedented access and closeness to God.

And yet, while you and I might be "saved," trusting in Yeshua's atoning work on the cross, we are part of something bigger: we are part of a family, a congregation, a city and a nation. As such, we do not stand before God alone; rather, we share in the collective responsibility.

When God blesses a nation with abundance, everybody enjoys it, the righteous and the wicked alike. And when God judges a nation, all suffer from the consequences of this affliction, whether that be war, famine or exile, of which we find many examples in the Bible.

Besides the personal benefits of a "perfect setting" for soul-searching and personal repentance, which benefits us all since we all keep on sinning, there is no better time and day on which we can and must stand in the gap in intercession on behalf of our people, our congregation, family and nation, as we are the ones who have our perfect sacrifice and High Priest in heaven, Yeshua the Messiah.

He is our joy and our hope always, and especially on this day.

May the Lord listen to our prayers, forgive and heal our nation, bring our people back to himself through Yeshua our Savior. And may He forgive us for where we have failed our congregations, our community and people, where we have failed to stand in the gap on their behalf, where we have failed to shine His light, to uplift, confront and encourage. And may He give us strength to do better by His grace in the coming year.

If you would like to learn more about the significance of this day for believers, visit this article by Joseph Shulam: "Why do I fast and pray on Yom Kippur"

Together with the whole Netivyah staff, I wish you a deeply meaningful Yom Kippur.