The Biblical holiday of Yom Kippurim (also known as Yom Kippur) – Day of Atonement – is the last day of the High Holy Days. The fast of Yom Kippur begins at sundown on the ninth of Tishri and continues until the stars can be seen in the sky on the tenth of Tishri.
The Eternal One spoke to Moses, saying: Mark, the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a sacred occasion for you; you shall practice self-denial, and you shall bring an offering by fire to the Eternal One; you shall do no work throughout that day. For it is a Day of Atonement, on which expiation is made on your behalf before the Eternal One your God. (Leviticus 23:26-28)1
Yom Kippur is a day set aside to “afflict the soul,” to atone for one’s sins of the past year. This Day of Atonement only atones for sins between man and God and not for sins between man and man. According to the Torah Yom Kippur is a day of rest and no work may be done. This day is also a day of afflicting one’s soul (Leviticus 23:32).
Rabbinic Traditions
In addition to these commands in the Torah, the Talmud (Yoma 8:1) also speaks of five additional prohibitions:2
1. No eating or drinking
2. No wearing of leather shoes
3. No bathing or washing
4. No anointing oneself with perfume or lotion
5. No marital relations
It has been suggested that there is a parallel between the five prohibitions and man’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden. At the point of the expulsion, free will choices between good and evil truly began and hard work and death became part of mankind’s world. On Yom Kippur, mankind attempts to symbolically return to the Garden of Eden through repentance.3
By the sweat of your brow shall you get bread to eat… (Genesis 3:19).1 Before the transgression all food was given to mankind and there was no need to produce food. On Yom Kippur, in order to atone for mankind’s transgression and symbolically return to Garden of Eden, one refrains from eating and drinking.3
Thorns also and thistles shall it sprout for you… (Genesis 3:18).1 When man was in the Garden of Eden there was no need for shoes to protect against thorns or thistles or even against other creatures. Upon being expelled from the Garden of Eden, mankind lost the originally given security and was forced to wear leather garments. On Yom Kippur one does not wear leather shoes as a symbolic return to the safety of the Garden of Eden.3
By the sweat of your brow… (Genesis 3:19).1 Traditionally, it was understood that man did not sweat while in the Garden of Eden. As a result of the expulsion from the Garden of Eden mankind was forced to work hard for his or her basic needs. On Yom Kippur one refrains from bathing or anointing oneself as a symbolic return to the state of mankind in the Garden of Eden.3
And to the woman He said: “I will make most severe your pangs in childbearing; In pain shall you bear children. Yet your urge shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16).1 In the Garden of Eden marital relations were not necessary for the propagation of mankind. After the expulsion mankind found it necessary to have relations to ensure the survival of mankind. As a result marital relations are forbidden on Yom Kippur as a symbolic return to the Garden of Eden.3
On Erev Yom Kippur – the night of nine Tishri – the Day of Atonement begins with the service commonly known as Kol Nidre. Kol Nidre is a legal formula where the person asks God to annul all personal vows that he or she may make in the coming year.
A special siddur (prayer book) – known as the Machzor – is used on Yom Kippur. Shachrit – the morning prayer – is preceded by penitential prayers, known as Selichot. This service is followed by an additional Musaf prayer. During the Musaf portion of the Yom Kippur service, a recitation of the sacrificial service of the Temple – known as the Seder Ha’avodah – is recited. The Sefer Ha’avodah recounts the detail of the sacrificial ceremonies that took place on Yom Kippur when the Temple stood in Jerusalem. The main section of the Seder Ha’avodah is a threefold recitation of the Kohen Gadol’s actions in the Holy of Holies.4 The actions of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur when the Temple stood are described in tractate Yoma. This section of the Talmud is studied on Yom Kippur and integrated into the Musaf portion of the Yom Kippur service. When the Temple stood in Jerusalem the Kohen Gadol had to follow a precise order of services, sacrifices, and purifications on Yom Kippur.
During the Yom Kippur service 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 [personal Name of God] was pronounced three times, once for each confession.”5
The Mincha (afternoon) prayer includes a haftarah which includes the entire Book of Jonah. The Rabbis gave four reasons for reading the Book of Jonah on Yom Kippur.6
1. The Book of Jonah reminds one of God’s infinite mercy.
2. The Book of Jonah teaches about teshuva (repentance).
3. The Book of Jonah reminds one that the entire world is in God’s hands.
4. The Book of Jonah reminds one that he or she can still be saved even as the day comes to an end.
The final service of Yom Kippur is called the Neilah service which literally means “closing.” This service references the closing of the gates of heaven. During this portion of Yom Kippur, the doors of the Ark remain open – revealing the Torah Scrolls inside. While the Ark doors are open it is tradition to remain standing. The ending of Yom Kippur comes with the first stars appearing in the sky. It is at this point that the shofar is blown one last time indicating the end of the High Holy Days.
Karaite Traditions
On the tenth day of the seventh month you shall observe a sacred occasion when you shall practice self-denial. You shall do no work. (Numbers 29:7)1
The self-denial (or affliction) one is to practice on Yom HaKippurim is in fact fasting.
The mortification required on that day [Yom HaKippurim] consists of abstention from food and drink, since all affliction of the soul mentioned in connection with the soul signifies fasting, as it is written: “I have afflicted my soul with fasting,” [Tehillim 35:13] and, “satisfy the afflicted soul,” [Yesha’yahu 58:10].7
The fast is evening to evening – approximately 26 hours. It is incumbent upon all Jews to fast during this time. If one is ill one should still fast if able to do so for as long as one is able to do so. Of course, if fasting would be threatening to the ill person, than he or she is permitted to refrain from fasting for part of the day or the entire day.
It is advisable to teach children to fast or at least refrain from eating very much on Yom HaKippurim as much as they are able to do so since fasting is incumbent upon all Jews during this time.7 In addition to the prohibition of eating or drinking one is forbidden from doing anything connected to eating or drinking such as carrying pots and pans.8
All work is forbidden on Yom HaKippurim. One should refrain from wearing jewelry, makeup, cologne, or other adornments. Eating, drinking, and the smelling of spices is also forbidden during this fast. One is also to have a remorseful and repentant attitude on this day.7
It is good to have a custom of praying throughout the day on Yom HaKippurim until the appearance of the stars in the evening. One should spend the day in confession and imploring forgiveness for all sins.8
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1David Stein (ed.). JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh. Philaelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1999.
2I. Epstein. Soncino Babylonian Talmud: Yoma. London: Soncino Press, 1949. [http://halakhah.com/pdf/moed/Yoma.pdf]
3Avi Rabinowitz. “The Inuyim of Yom Kippur & the Expulsion from Eden”. Mail-Jewish. Volume 37 Number 16. Ottmall.Com, 11 September 2002. Web. 17 September 2011. [http://www.ottmall.com/mj_ht_arch/v37/mj_v37i16.html#CEK]
4Jules. Harlow Mahzor for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. New York: Rabbinical Assembly, 1978.
5“Yom Kippur”. Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia. 17 September 2011. Web. 17 September 2011. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur]
6Maya Bernstein. “Jonah & Yom Kippur”. My Jewish Learning. My Jewish Learning. n.d. Web. 17 September 2011. [http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jonah-yom-kippur/]
7al-Qirqisani Center. An Introduction to Karaite Judaism: History, Theology, Practice, and Custom. Troy, NY: al-Qirqisani Center for the Promotion of Karaite Studies, 2003.
8Leon Nemoy (ed). Karaite Anthology: Excerpts from the Early Literature. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1980.