The words Yom Kippur are the Hebrew words for "Day of Atonement". The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, in Vayikra 16 or Leviticus 16, refers to Yom Kippur as "Yom Ha-Kippurim" or "Yom HaKippurim", meaning "Day of the Atonements" in Hebrew. Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Hebrew/Jewish calendar, and together with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and the Ten Days of Repentance or the Ten Days of Penitence ("Aseret Yemei Teshuvah" in Hebrew), which occur between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur inclusive, comprise the "Yamim Noraim" ("Days of Awe" in Hebrew), in the narrow sense of the term. In the extended sense of the term, the Yamim Noraim refer to the 40-day period beginning exactly one month prior to Rosh Hashanah on the first day of the sixth Hebrew/Jewish month of Elul, ending at the conclusion of Yom Kippur, on the tenth day of the seventh Hebrew/Jewish month of Tishri or Tishrei. The English translation for the Yamim Noraim or "Days of Awe" period is either "High Holy Days" or "High Holidays", though this is an inaccurate translation (except for the "Holy" aspect as a characteristic of these days). On Yom Kippur, the judgement that G-d renders for each person for the coming year which occurs ten days earlier on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is sealed on Yom Kippur.

The Yom Kippur Fast

Among other things, Yom Kippur is a day of fasting. The laws regarding fasting are in Halakhah, or Jewish religious law, particularly in the Babylonian Talmud, Mishnah, Tractate Ta'anit, which mostly deals with the protocols involved in declaring and observing fast days. These protocols are applied to the 7 fast days in the Hebrew/Jewish calendar, which includes Yom Kippur. "Ta'anit" or "Taanit" means "fast" in Hebrew, and the name "Ta'anit" or "Taanit" in relation to the title of the Talmud Tractate means "Fasts" in Hebrew. Halakhah requires that one must fast for a small part of the day prior to a fast day and so one-half hour prior to the start of the day of Yom Kippur, Jewish people begin a 25-hour fast. Since the Hebrew/Jewish day begins just after sunset and ends after nightfall on the following day, the Yom Kippur fast begins from one-half prior to sunset of one day, the day of Yom Kippur, on the 10th day of the seventh Hebrew/Jewish month of Tishri or Tishrei, until about one-half hour after nightfall of the next day, meaning after the end of the day of Yom Kippur, totalling 25 hours. What is forbidden during this fast? During the 25-hour fast for Yom Kippur, Jewish people abstain from eating (of course), drinking, washing, wearing leather shoes, using cosmetic ointments, and having sexual relations.

Yom Kippur : High Point of Self-Evaluation and Accountability

The day of Yom Kippur is the culmination of the 40-day process of Teshuvah or Teshuva, which means "returning" in Hebrew, as in returning to G-d. For 40 days, Jewish people undergo a wholehearted and in-depth self-examination of their motivations and deeds performed over the past year. We ask forgiveness for wrongdoings done to our fellow human beings and seek ways to resolve transgressions between themselves and G-d and between themselves and others through acts of justice and the giving of "tzedakah" or "tzedaka", which means "charity" in Hebrew. After this is done, complete attention is given to G-d with fasting and prayers ("tefillot" in Hebrew) for forgiveness, prayers for guidance, and prayers giving praise and thanksgiving to G-d, while submitting to the judgement of G-d, which is sealed by nightfall.

Yom Kippur Customs

Yom Kippur customs include: (1) donating tzedakah or charity before the start of Yom Kippur; (2) some Jewish people perform an ancient custom known as "kapparot" [similar to "kippur" ("atonement" in Hebrew), "kapparot" means "atonements" in Hebrew, singular form: "kapparah" (atonement)], which is a symbolic ritual whose purpose is to use either a live fowl or a bag of money to represent a "scapegoat" that bears the repentant's sins. Prayers are recited asking that, in the case of the live fowl, that it be killed instead of the repentant and be given to the needy as a symbolic ritual representing the "atonements" for one's sins; and (3) the Yizkor service; Yizkor means "May (G-d) Remember" in Hebrew; it is from the Hebrew root word "zakhor", meaning "remember", and Yizkor refers to the memorial service for one's deceased loved ones that is held on four occasions during the Hebrew/Jewish calendar year: (A) on the final day of Pesach/Passover (the 7th day for Jews who celebrate Pesach/Passover for 7 days or on the 8th day for Jews who celebrate Pesach/Passover for 8 days), and (B) on the final day of Shavuot (the first day for Jews who celebrate Shavuot for one day or on the second day for Jews who celebrate Shavuot for two days), and (C) on Yom Kippur, and finally, (D) on Shemini Atzeret (the day after the final day of the 7-day festival of Sukkot).

Other Yom Kippur customs include a festive family meal that is eaten and finished one-half hour before sunset whereupon after sunset, the lighting of candles and the recitation of the associated blessings for Yom Kippur ushers in the high holy day of Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur Prayers

Prayers begin at sunset which ushers in Yom Kippur, and open with requests for absolution from all personal vows or promises made either unwittingly, rashly, or unknowingly to G-d (not to other people) in the past year. Regarding unfulfilled vows or promises made to other people, only the transgressed person - not G-d - can forgive the person who caused the transgression. The requests for personal absolution from unfullfilled vows or promises made either unwittingly, rashly, or unknowingly to G-d - meaning vows or promises that only affect oneself - are collectively known as "Kol Nidre" or "Kol Nidrei", meaning "all vows" in Aramaic. Prayers conclude after dark on the following day with the closing service, called "Neilah" or "Ne'ilah" in Hebrew, meaning "closing" or "locking" in Hebrew, as in symbolizing the closing or locking or sealing of our future for the coming year in the Book of Life at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. As we are aware that our future is being sealed in the Book of Life for the coming year, we turn to G-d to accept our sincere repentance and new resolutions, and that G-d seal us in the Book of Life, granting us a new year replete with goodness and happiness. The Ark remains open for the entire Neilah service, signifying that the Gates of Heaven are wide open to our prayers and entreaties. The 25-hour fast then ends in a joyous atmosphere, and the mitzvah ("commandment" in Hebrew, as in a commandment from G-d) begins of building a Sukkah ("booth" or "hut" in Hebrew) for the harvest festival of Sukkot (Sukkot means "booths" or "huts" in Hebrew) which begins five days after Yom Kippur.

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