Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur is traditionally spent in the synagogue, fasting and praying. Painting by Maurycy Gottlieb (1878).
Official name	Hebrew: יוֹם כִּפּוּר or יום הכיפורים
Also called	Day of Atonement
Observed by	Judaism and Jews
Type	Jewish
Significance	Day of Atonement for sins, and for the Golden calf
Observances	Fasting, prayer, abstaining from physical pleasures, refraining from work
Date	10th day of Tishrei
2024 date
Related to	Rosh Hashanah, which precedes Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, which follows Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur (Hebrew: יוֹם כִּפּוּר, IPA: [jɔm kiˈpur] or [jɔm ˈkɪpər]) is a Jewish holiday, known as the Day of Atonement. It is the holiest and most solemn day of the Jewish year. Its central theme is atonement and repentance for sins against both God and one's fellow man.

The Torah calls the day Yom HaKippurim (יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, "The Day of Atonements") and in Leviticus 23:27 decrees a strict prohibition of work and affliction of the soul upon the tenth day of the seventh month, later known as Tishrei. It is commemorated in Rabbinic Judaism with a 25-hour fast and intensive prayer.

Date

Yom Kippur is the climax of the Yamim Noraim ("Days of Awe"), and with Rosh Hashanah forms the Jewish High Holy Days.

Yom Kippur	Starts (at sundown)	Ends (at night)
5767	2006-10-01	2006-10-02
5768	2007-09-21	2007-09-22
5769	2008-10-08	2008-10-09
5770	2009-09-27	2009-09-28
5771	2010-09-17	2010-09-18

Although outside of the Land of Israel other biblical festivals are observed for two days because of doubt over the correct beginning of the month, Yom Kippur was not rabbinically extended to two days due to the difficulty of fasting for 48 hours. In addition, the modern Hebrew calendar is constructed in such a way that Yom Kippur may never fall out on a Friday or Sunday, both of which would disturb the proper observance of a regular Shabbat, although Yom Kippur may fall on and override Shabbat itself, as it does in 2007.

Observances

General observances

Five prohibitions are traditionally observed, as detailed in the Jewish oral tradition (Mishnah tractate Yoma 8:1):

1. Eating and drinking
2. Wearing leather shoes
3. Bathing/washing
4. Anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions
5. Marital relations

Total abstention from food and drink usually begins 18 minutes before sundown (called tosefet Yom Kippur lit. Addition to Yom Kippur ), and ends after nightfall the following day; the oral canon imposes this additional requirement to fast for parttt of the previous day. Although the fast is required of all healthy adults, in certain cases in which the person fasting would be harmed, it may be forbidden by the oral regulations. Virtually all Jewish holidays involve a ritual feast, but since Yom Kippur involves fasting, Jewish law requires one to eat a large and festive meal on the afternoon before Yom Kippur, after the mincha prayer is given; traditional foods consumed during the festive meal include kreplach and rice, and many groups also have the custom of consuming a further meal involving fish, before the main festive meal.

Variations on the traditions for Yom Kippur exist between different Jewish communities. For example, Sephardic Jews (Jews of Spanish, Portuguese and North African descent) refer to this holiday as the White Fast, since it is traditional among them to wear only white clothing on this day, displaying desire to have their sins forgiven; the Talmud interprets the Torah as using a change of color from red to white for the purpose of symbolizing the forgiving of sins. Many men in Orthodox Judaism immerse themselves in a mikvah on the day before Yom Kippur.

Eve of Yom Kippur

See also: Kol Nidre

Erev Yom Kippur ( lit. yom kippur eve) is the day before the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. It falls on the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. The day is commemorated with a festive meal, giving of charity, and visiting others to seek or give forgiveness.

Jewish law requires one to eat a large and festive meal before Yom Kippur starts after the mincha prayer. Virtually all Jewish holidays involve a ritual feast; in the case of Yom Kippur, since one cannot eat a festive meal on the day itself, one therefore eats the festive meal on the afternoon prior to the fast. Traditional foods consumed during that meal include kreplach and rice. Many others also have a custom to eat another meal before that, consuming fish. Also, many Orthodox men immerse themselves in a mikvah.

Before sunset on the eve of Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"), the congregation gathers in the synagogue. The Ark is opened and two people take from it two Torah scrolls. Then they take their places, one on each side of the cantor, and the three recite:

In the tribunal of Heaven and the tribunal of earth, by the permission of God — praised be He — and by the permission of this holy congregation, we hold it lawful to pray with transgressors."

The cantor then chants the Kol Nidre prayer (Hebrew: כל נדרי) in Aramaic, not Hebrew. Its name is taken from the opening words, meaning "All vows":

All personal vows we are likely to make, all personal oaths and pledges we are likely to take between this Yom Kippur and the next Yom Kippur, we publicly renounce. Let them all be relinquished and abandoned, null and void, neither firm nor established. Let our personal vows, pledges and oaths be considered neither vows nor pledges nor oaths.

The leader and the congregation then say together three times "May all the people of Israel be forgiven, including all the strangers who live in their midst, for all the people are in fault." The Torah scrolls are then replaced, and the customary evening service begins.

Prayer services

Many married men wear a kittel, a white robe-like garment for evening prayers on Yom Kippur. They also wear a tallis, the only evening service of the year in which this is done. Prayer services begin with the prayer known as "Kol Nidre," which must be recited before sunset, and follows with the evening prayers (ma'ariv or arvith), which includes an extended Selichot service.

The morning prayer service is preceded by litanies and petitions of forgiveness called selichot; on Yom Kippur, many selichot are woven into the liturgy. The morning prayers are followed by an added prayer (musaf) as on all other holidays. It is followed by mincha (the afternoon prayer) which includes a reading (Haftarah) of the Book of Jonah. This is due to its story of God's willingness to forgive those who repent. The service concludes with the ne'ilah prayer, a prayer specifically for Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur comes to an end with a recitation of Shema Yisrael and the blowing of the shofar, which marks the conclusion of the fast.

The Avodah: Remembering the Temple service

A recitation of the sacrificial service of the Temple in Jerusalem traditionally features prominently in both the liturgy and the religious thought of the holiday. Specifically, the Avodah ("service") in the musaf prayer recounts the sacrificial ceremonies in great detail.

This traditional prominence is rooted in the Babylonian Talmud's description of how to attain atonement following the destruction of the Temple. According to Talmud tractate Yoma, in the absence of a Temple, Jews are obligated to study the High Priest's ritual on Yom Kippur, and this study helps achieve atonement for those who are unable to benefit from its actual performance. In Orthodox Judaism, accordingly, studying the Temple ritual on Yom Kippur represents a positive rabbinically-ordained obligation which Jews seeking atonement are required to fulfill.

In Orthodox and most Conservative synagogues, a detailed description of the Temple ritual is recited on the day. In most Orthodox and some Conservative synagogues, the entire congregation prostrates themselves at each point in the recitation where the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) would pronounce the Tetragrammaton (God's holiest name, according to Judaism).

The main section of the Avodah is a threefold recitation of the High Priest's actions regarding expiation in the Holy of Holies. Performing the sacrificial acts and reciting Leviticus 16:30, "for on this day atonement shall be made for you, to atone for you for all your sins, before God..." (he would recite the Tetragrammaton at this point, to which the people would prostrate to the ground) and after extending the Name, he would finish the verse "...you shall be purified." He would first ask for forgiveness for himself and his family ("Your pious man"), then for the priestly caste ("Your holy people"), and finally for all of Israel ("Your upright children"). (These three times, plus in some congregations the Alenu prayer during the Musaf Amidah on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, are the only times in Jewish services when Jews engage in complete full-body prostration, with the exception of some Yemenite Jews and talmedhei haRambam who may prostrate themselves on other occasions during the year). A variety of liturgical poems are added, including a poem recounting the radiance of the countenance of the Kohen Gadol after exiting the Holy of Holies, traditionally believed to emit palpable light in a manner echoing the Bible's account of the countenance of Moses after descending from Mount Sinai, as well as prayers for the speedy rebuilding of the Temple and the restoration of sacrificial worship. There are a variety of other customs, such as hand gestures to mime the sprinkling of blood (one sprinkling upwards and seven downwards per set of eight).

Orthodox liturgies include prayers lamenting the inability to perform the Temple service and petitioning for its restoration, which Conservative synagogues generally omit. In some Conservative synagogues, only the Hazzan engages in full prostration. Some Conservative synagogues abridge the recitation of the Avodah service to varying degrees, and some omit it entirely. Reform and Reconstructionist services omit the entire service as inconsistent with modern sensibilities.

Observances among secular Jews

Yom Kippur is considered one of the holiest of Jewish holidays, and its observance is held even among the majority of secular Jews who may not strictly observe other holidays. Many secular Jews will fast and attend synagogue on Yom Kippur, where the number of worshippers attending is often double or triple the normal attendance.

In Israel, social behaviour on Yom Kippur developed in ways unprecedented in all previous Jewish tradition, due to the interaction between the various sectors of Israeli Jewish society: the Religious, the Secularists and the large number of "in-between" people known as "Traditionalists" (מסורתיים) who selectively keep some, but not all, religious observances.

By law or administrative decree, there is on this day no broadcast radio or television, no public transportation, and airports are closed. As a result, in 1957 Israelis learned of the launch of the Soviet Sputnik nearly 24 hours after the rest of the world. In 1973, emergency broadcasts were resumed at noon on this day due to the surprise Egyptian and Syrian attack which started the Yom Kippur War. For this reason, most Israelis (including many Orthodox) will leave their radios on in case of an emergency broadcast. Men who are subject to reserve duty status are even required by the army to leave their radios on for this reason. In recent years, due to the spread of cable TV, secular Israelis feel less cut off from the world on Yom Kippur.

Beyond the state-enforced restrictions, some kinds of public non-observance on Yom Kippur (such as eating or driving a motor vehicle) are a very widespread social taboo, though not enforced by any law. A motorist defying the taboo is likely to get pelted with stones by youths - such behaviour being motivated, according to Israeli Police officials, not only by religion but also by the chance to engage in socially approved vandalism. Israeli authorities regularly publish on the eve of Yom Kippur a call upon the public not to attack ambulances engaged in emergency work on the day - implicitly recognizing attacks on ordinary motorists as legitimate.

As a result of motor traffic being completely absent, secular Israeli children are since the 1970's taking the opportunity to ride bicycles and rollerblades through the empty streets, especially on the eve of Yom Kippur. The festival is thus colloquially nicknamed "Festival of Bicycles" ("חג האופניים").). Indeed, there is a notiacable rise in the sale of bicylces on the weeks before Yom Kippur, and companies are known to advertaise children's bicylces as "especially fitted for Yom Kippur".

According to the strictures of the Jewish religion, riding bicycles on Yom Kippur is as much a sinful transgression as riding motor cars (arguably, even more so - as it requires physical effort which can be considered as working). The Israeli Chief Rabbinate is annually posting announcements, pointing this out, imploring and admonishing the public against the riding of bicycles - but to no visible avail. Evidently, whatever Rabbis may say, the general Israeli society considers the taboo as applying to motor cars but not to bicylces.

For their part Israeli environmentalists, some of them staunchly secular, have noted with approval that Israel has in effect achieved "A Day Without Cars" of the kind which environmental movements in other countries failed to institute.

Biblical origin

Traditionally, Yom Kippur is considered the date on which Moses received the second set of Ten Commandments. It occurred following the completion of the second 40 days of instructions from God. At this same time, the Israelites were granted atonement for the sin of the Golden Calf, hence its designation as the Day of Atonement. The rites for Yom Kippur are set forth in the sixteenth chapter of Leviticus (cf. Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 23:27-31, 25:9; Numbers 29:7-11). It is described as a solemn fast, on which no food or drink could be consumed, and on which all work is forbidden.

Service in the Temple in Jerusalem

While the Temple was standing in Jerusalem (from Biblical times through 70 C.E.), the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) performed a complex set of special services and sacrifices for Yom Kippur. These services were considered to be the most important parts of Yom Kippur, as through them the Kohen Gadol made atonement for all Jews in the world. During the service, the Kohen Gadol entered the Holy of Holies in the center of the Temple, the only time of the year that anyone went inside. Doing so required special purification and preparation, including five immersions in a mikvah (ritual bath), and four changes of clothing.

Traditional account

The following summary of the Temple service is based on the traditional Jewish religious account described in Mishnah tractate Yoma, appearing in contemporary traditional Jewish prayerbooks for Yom Kippur, and studied as part of a traditional Jewish Yom Kippur worship service. Traditional Jewish religious law, now as in the past, regards the particularities of the Temple ritual as being legally binding requirements for a religiously acceptable atonement ritual, for purposes both of study in the absence of a Temple, and as a template for any future ritual among those Orthodox Jews who believe in the restoration of sacrificial worship.

Prior to Yom Kippur, the Kohen Gadol was sequestered in the Parhedrin chamber in the Temple, where he reviewed the service with the Temple sages, and was sprinkled with spring water containing ashes of the Red Heifer as purification. The Talmud (Tractate Yoma) also reports that he practiced the incense offering ritual in the Avitnas chamber.

On the day of Yom Kippur, the Kohen Gadol had to follow a precise order of services, sacrifices, and purifications:

• Morning (Tamid) Offering The Kohen Gadol first performed the regular daily (Tamid) offering - usually performed by ordinary priests - in special golden garments, after immersing in a mikvah and washing his hands and feet.
• Garment Change 1 The Kohen Gadol immersed in a special mikvah in the Temple courtyard and changed into special linen garments, and washed his hands and feet twice, once after removing the golden garments and once before putting on the linen garments.
• Lottery of the goats At the Eastern (Nikanor) gate, the Kohen Gadol drew lots from a lottery box over two goats. One was selected "for the Lord," and one "for Azazzel." The Kohen Gadol tied a red band to the goat "for Azazzel."
• Bull as Personal Sin-Offering The Kohen Gadol leaned (performed Semikha) and made a confession over the goat on behalf of himself and his household, pronouncing the Tetragrammaton. The people prostrated themselves when they heard. He then slaughtered the bull as a chatat (sin-offering) and received its blood in a bowl.
• Incense Preparation The Kohen Gadol ascended the mizbeach (altar) and took a shovel full of embers with a special shovel. He was brought incense. He filled his hands and placed it in a vessel. (The Talmud considered this the most physically difficult part of the service, as the Kohen Gadol had to keep the shovelful of glowing coals balanced and prevent its contents from dropping, using his armpit or teeth, while filling his hands with the incense).
• Incense Offering Holding the shovel and the vessel, he entered the Kadosh Hakadashim, the Temple's Holy of Holies. In the days of the First Temple, he placed the shovel between the poles of the Ark of the Covenant. In the days of the Second Temple, he put the shovel where the Ark would have been. He waited until the chamber filled with smoke and left.
• Sprinkling of Blood in the Holy of Holies The Kohen Gadol took the bowl with the bull's blood and entered the Most Holy Place again. He sprinkled the bull's blood with his finger eight times, before the Ark in the days of the First Temple, where it would have been in the days of the Second. The Kohen Gadol then left the Holy of Holies, putting the bowl on a stand in front of the Parochet (curtain separating the Holy from the Holy of Holies).
• Goat for the Lord as Sin-Offering for Kohanim The Kohen Gadol went to the eastern end of the Israelite courtyard near the Nikanor Gate, laid his hands (semikha) on the goat "for the Lord," and pronounced confession on behalf of the Kohanim (priests). The people postrated themselves when he pronounced the Tetragrammaton. He then slaughtered the goat, and received its blood in another bowl.
• Sprinkling of blood in the Holy Standing in the Hekhal (Holy), on the other side of the Parochet from the Holy of Holies, the Kohen Gadol took the bull's blood from the stand and sprinkled it with his finger eight times in the direction of the Parochet. He then took the bowl with the goat's blood and sprinkled it eight times in the same manner, putting it back on the stand.
• Smearing of blood on the Golden (Incense) Altar The Kohen Gadol removed the goat's blood from the stand and mixed it with the bull's blood. Starting at the northeast corner, he then smeared the mixture of blood on each of the four corners of the Golden (Incense) altar in the Haichal. He then sprinkled the blood eight times on the altar.
• Goat for Azazzel The Kohen Gadol left the Haichal and walked to the east side of the Azaryah (Israelite courtyard). Near the Nikanor Gate, he leaned his hands (Semikha) on the goat "for Azazel" and confessed the sins of the entire people of Israel. The people prostrated themselves when he pronounced the Tetragrammaton. While he made a general confession, individuals in the crowd at the Temple would confess privately. The Kohen Gadol then sent the goat off "to the wilderness." In practice, to prevent its return to human habitation, the goat was led to a cliff outside Jerusalem and pushed off its edge.
• Preparation of sacrificial animals While the goat "for Azazzel" was being led to the cliff, the Kohen Gadol removed the insides of the bull, and intertwined the bodies of the bull and goat. Other people took the bodies to the Beit HaDeshen (place of the ashes). They were burned there after it was confirmed that the goat "for Azazzel" had reached the wilderness.
• Reading the Torah After it was confirmed that the goat "for Azazzel" had been pushed off the cliff, the Kohen Gadol passed through the Nikanor Gate into the Ezrat Nashim (Women's Courtyard) and read sections of the Torah describing Yom Kippur and its sacrifices.
• Garment change 2 The Kohen Gadol removed his linen garments, immersed in the mikvah in the Temple courtyard, and changed into a second set of special golden garments. He washed his hands and feet both before removing the linen garments and after putting on the golden ones.
• Offering of Rams The Kohen Gadol offered two rams as an olah offering, slaughtering them on the north side of the mizbeach (outer altar), receiving their blood in a bowl, carrying the bowl to the outer altar, and dashing the blood on the northeast and southwest corners of the Outer Altar. He dismembered the rams and burned the parts entirely on the outer altar. He then offered the accompanying mincha (grain) offerings and nesachim (wine-libations).
• Musaf Offering The Kohen Gadol then offered the Musaf offering.
• Burning of Innards The Kohen Gadol placed the insides of the bull and goat on the outer altar and burned them entirely.
• *Garment change 3 The Kohen Gadol removed his golden garments, immersed in the mikvah, and changed to a new set of linen garments, again washing his hands and feet twice.
• Removal of Incense from the Holy of Holies The Kohen Gadol returned to the Holy of Holies and removed the bowl of incense and the shovel.
• Garment Change 4 The Kohen Gadol removed his linen garments, immersed in the mikvah, and changed into a third set of golden garments, again washing his hands and feet twice.
• Evening (Tamid) Offering The Kohen Gadol completed the afternoon portion of the regular (tamid) daily offering in the special golden garments. He washed his hands and feet a tenth time.

The Kohen Gadol wore five sets of garments (three golden and two white linen), immersed in the mikvah five times, and washed his hands and feet ten times. Sacrifices included two (daily) lambs, one bull, two goats, and two rams, with accompanying mincha (meal) offerings, wine libations, and three incense offerings (the regular two daily and an additional one for Yom Kippur). The Kohen Gadol entered the Holy of Holies three times. The Tetragrammaton was pronounced three times, once for each confession.

View of contemporary Biblical scholarship

According to textual scholars, the biblical regulations covering Yom Kippur are spliced together from multiple source texts, as indicated by evidence such as with the duplication of the confession over the bullock, and the incongruity in one verse stating that the high priest shouldn't enter the Holy of Holies (with the inference that there are exceptions for certain explicitly identified festivals), and the next verse indicating that they can enter whenever they wish (as long as a specific ritual is carried out first). Although Rashi tried to find a harmonistic explanation for this incongruity, the Leviticus Rabbah maintains that it was indeed the case that the high priest could enter at any time if these rituals were carried out. Textual scholars argue that the ritual is composed from three sources, and a couple of redactional additions:

• prerequisite rituals before the high priest can enter the Holy of Holies (on any occasion), namely a sin offering and a whole offering, followed by the filling of the Holy of Holies with a cloud of incense while wearing linen garments
• regulations which establish an annual day of fasting and rest, during which the sanctuary and people are purified, without stating the ritual for doing so; this regulation is very similar to the one in the Holiness Code
• later elaborations of the ceremony, which include the sprinkling of the blood on the mercy seat, and the use of a scapegoat sent to Azazel; the same source also being responsible for small alterations to related regulations
• the redactional additions

According to biblical scholars, the original ceremony was simply the ritual purification of the sanctuary from any accidental ritual impurity, at the start of each new year, as seen in the Book of Ezekiel, which textual scholars date to before the priestly source, but after JE. According to the Book of Ezekiel, the sanctuary was to be cleansed by the sprinkling of bullock's blood, on the first day of the first and of the seventh months - near the start of the Civil year and of the Ecclesiastical year, respectively; although the masoretic text of the Book of Ezekiel has the second of these cleansings on the seventh of the first month, biblical scholars regard the Septuagint, which has the second cleaning as being the first of the seventh month, as being more accurate here. It appears that during the period that the Holiness Code and the Book of Ezekiel were written, the new year began on the tenth day of the seventh month, and thus biblical scholars believe that by the time the Priestly Code was compiled, the date of the new year and of the day of atonement had swapped around.

Yom Kippur and other religions

Christians and Yom Kippur

Main article: Day of Atonement (Christian holiday)

In Christianity the phrase Day of Atonement is usually taken to refer to a more singular eschatological event also known as Judgement Day, and most Christians ignore Yom Kippur as they do not consider it to be part of the New Covenant. However, many Christian theologians and scholars acknowledge that there is a strong connection between the two days; for example, one Christian theologian argues that Yom Kippur is the foreshadowing pre-text of Christ's future judgement of mankind.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Fast Day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is observed on September 14 in the Julian Calendar, roughly coinciding with Yom Kippur (which oscillates with respect to the Julian and Gregorian Calendars). One Orthodox priest – Rev. Patrick Reardon – argues that it is obviously derived from Yom Kippur, and that everyone realises this. The Amish Christians also observe a Fast Day on October 11 in the Gregorian Calendar, which similarly coincides roughly with Yom Kippur.

Muslim connection

According to Sunni tradition, Muhammad observed the Day of Ashura fast in Mecca, as did the local population where it was a common practice from pre-Muslim times. When Muhammad led his followers to Medina, he found the Jews of that area fasting on the day of Ashura - or Yom Kippur. At this juncture, the fast of that day became mandatory for the Muslims.

The Ashura is commemorated for the following occasions which Muslims believe happened on the 10th Day of Muharram:

• The deliverance of Noah from the flood
• Abraham was saved from Nimrod's fire
• Jacob's blindness was healed and he was brought to Joseph on this day
• Job was healed from his illness
• Moses was saved from the impeding Pharaoh's army

In the Shia tradition it is also the anniversary of the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, Muhammed's grandson, whom Shia consider to be his rightful heir.

However, numerous Sunni traditions in Sahih Muslim and Sahih Bukhari confirm that fasting on Ashura was abandoned by Muhammad when the fasting of Ramadan was mandated. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, in his commentary on Bukhari's collection, says that the obligatoriness of the fast was superseded by fasting in Ramadan, a year after his migration to Medina. Today, Sunnis regard fasting on the 10th of Muharram as recommended, though not obligatory. Conversely, Shias regard fasting on that day as undesirable though not strictly forbidden.

Ashura and Yom Kippur no longer generally coincide, since the Quran prohibited intercalation into the lunar calendar, resulting in the gradual shift of the start of the 354 day Islamic year with respect to the solar year, while the Hebrew Calendar retains intercalation.

See also

• Yom Kippur War

References

• Talmud Bavli, The Schottenstein Edition of the Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Yoma, Volume I. Mesorah Publications Ltd. ISBN 0-89906-719-0
• Talmud Bavli, The Schottenstein Edition of the Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Yoma, Volume II. Mesorah Publications Ltd. ISBN 1-57819-001-0

External links

• Yom Kippur guide at Chabad.org
• Yom Kippur Info at MavenSearch
• Yom Kippur Prayers for Sephardic Jews