ABOUT THE HOLIDAY


Yom Kippur, or Yom Hakippurim, is considered the holiest day in the Jewish year, as it seeks to bring reconciliation between people and between each individual and God. "The tenth day of the seventh month is a day of atonement. It shall be a sacred occasion for you…it is a day on which atonement is made on your behalf before Hashem your God…a Shabbat of complete rest it shall be for you." (Lev. 23:26-32)

During the time of the First Temple, the High Priest made special offerings to cleanse himself and his family, and he then sent away a second goat into the wilderness, symbolically carrying away the wrongdoing of the people. By the time of the Second Temple, this ritual included three separate moments when the High Priest appeared before the people reciting a formula of confession. At this momentous occasion only, the High Priest would utter the tetragramaton, YHVH, the name God used to identify Himself to Moses at the burning bush. Upon hearing this, the people would respond, "Baruch Shem K'vod Malchuto L'Olam Va'ed!" (Blessed is His glorious sovereignty forever and always.) In traditional synagogues, Yom Kippur is still the only day on which these words are spoken aloud after saying the Shema.

Yom Kippur is the only fast day mandated in the Torah, and on Yom Kippur, Jews are also forbidden to drink any liquid, bathe, engage in marital relations, or wear leather shoes. On Yom Kippur, we often see the incongruous sight of people wearing their finest fall fashions -- and canvas sneakers!