Yom Kippur: fast, confession, and repentance

Yom Kippur, the 'Day of Atonement,' is the most solemn day of the Jewish calendar, closing the ten days of penitence opened by Rosh Hashana. Devoted to a complete fast of approximately twenty-five hours and abstention from all work, it is entirely oriented toward techouva (return, repentance), confession of sins (vidouï), and the seeking of reconciliation with God and with others — tradition recalling that forgiveness for transgressions against one's neighbor requires first making amends to that neighbor. The liturgy, among the richest of the year, opens in the evening with Kol Nidré, a solemn annulment of vows sung to a celebrated melody, and closes with the Neila service, 'the closing of the gates,' a final appeal before the sounding of the shofar. It includes the evocation of the High Priest's service in the Temple (Avoda) and the reading of the book of Jonah. A biblical fast day prescribed in Leviticus, Yom Kippur remains the spiritual experience most widely shared by Jews of all orientations, religious and secular alike.

Sources & resources

• Sefaria ↗
• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan