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The High Holy Day of Yom Kippur dates back to Biblical times, and it is still honored today as the holiest day of the year in Judaism. The first Yom Kippur was held at Mount Sinai, where the Israelites fled after their exodus from Egypt. Jewish tradition states that at Mount Sinai, G-d* gave the Hebrew prophet Moses the Ten Commandments, two sacred tablets.
According to the Torah, when Moses came down the mountain, he found the Israelites worshipping a golden calf. This violated the second commandment, which told the Israelites, “You shall have no other gods.” Moses reacted to the sight of the golden calf by destroying the tablets in anger, but the Israelites atoned for their sin, earning G-d’s forgiveness. Ever since, the descendants of those Israelites have atoned for their sins by observing Yom Kippur.
There are many rules and customs that Jewish people follow on Yom Kippur to reflect, repent, and rejuvenate our souls. Here is a breakdown of Judaism’s most sacred day.
1. We fast.
Yom Kippur translates to “Day of Atonement,” and fasting is a vehicle through which we repent for our sins. The fast lasts 25 hours and prohibits all sustenance, including water. This custom is based on two commandments from the Torah: “You shall afflict your souls” (Leviticus 16:29); and “For a soul which is not afflicted on that day will be cut off” (Leviticus 23:29). After a long day of worship, a shofar, an ancient musical instrument fashioned from a ram’s horn, is blown to signal the end of the 25-hour fast.
On the morning of Yom Kippur, we read in the Haftarah, a selection from the books of Nevi'im of the Hebrew Bible traditionally chanted after the Torah reading, the prophet Isaiah tells us that the goal of our fast is to “unlock fetters of wickedness, and untie the cords of the yoke to let the oppressed go free; to break off every yoke. It is to share your bread with the hungry, and to take the wretched poor into your home; when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to ignore your own kin.”
Generally, observants are not required to fast until they have reached the age of maturity in Judaism, marked by the coming of age B'nai mitzvah ritual. In fact, Jewish law prohibits children under the age of nine from fasting. It’s also important to note that most common Jewish interpretations emphasize the mitzvah — commandment or good deed — of putting your health first. This means there are various conditions in which one would be exempt from fasting, including postpartum complications and diabetes.
2. Hide your Doc Martens!
Another Yom Kippur restriction prohibits wearing leather footwear. According to the Chabad-Lubavitch Orthodox Jewish movement, this is based on the fact that on Yom Kippur we are compared to angels, who lack material needs. Chabad-Lubavitch states further, “Leather shoes were considered a comfort until recent times, when it became possible to manufacture comfortable shoes of other materials." Leather shoes were also forbidden in the Temple in Jerusalem, which is often cited as another reason for this practice. (To be honest, it always cracks me up to see the congregants at my synagogue wearing Vans sneakers with their expensive suits.)
There are a few other rules that Jewish observants follow on Yom Kippur, such as avoiding bathing or washing, skipping lotions and creams, and abstaining from sexual intimacy. Some practitioners also ditch their gold jewelry on Yom Kippur, because gold reminds us of the sin of the golden calf.
3. It’s a whiteout.
On Yom Kippur, synagogue congregations become seas of white clothing. There are multiple reasons why Jewish observants wear white on this Day of Atonement, including the belief that we should try to be like angels, as pure and transparent as possible. White also symbolizes death in Judaism, so wearing it reminds us of our fragile mortality, helping us appreciate the gift of life as we repent for our wrongdoings.
Members of some communities wear a white linen kittel, a special festival robe. This is because the Hebrew prophets Ezekiel and Daniel described angels as wearing linen, among other reasons for this ritual.
4. Don’t wish someone a “Happy Yom Kippur.”
Yom Kippur is not really a joyous holiday, and wishing your Jewish friend or loved one a “Happy Yom Kippur” can actually come across as offensive. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year in Judaism, and the emotions it evokes are solemnity, regret, and repentance — not happiness. Observants spend all day fasting, abstaining from various elements of everyday life, and worshipping using a prayer book called a machzor.
Leading up to Yom Kippur, it is far more appropriate to wish someone “G'mar chatima tova,” which is Hebrew for “a good final sealing.” This references the Jewish belief that one’s fate is sealed in the Book of Life on Yom Kippur, according to the prayer Unetaneh Tokef. This phrase can also be shortened to “G’mar tov,” or “a good seal.” It is also respectful to wish someone “Tzom kal,” meaning “easy fast.”
5. Yom Kippur is also a day of mourning.
Further to that last note about not wishing someone a “Happy Yom Kippur,” one of the worship services performed on this Day of Atonement is the Yizkor, a mourning service.
In Jewish tradition, it is believed that G-d judges the dead as well as the living. During Yizkor, people say a prayer and promise to do good deeds in hopes of securing G-d’s positive judgment for the loved ones they’ve lost.
Yizkor is most commonly recited for a parent, child, sibling or spouse, but it can be used for any relative or close friend. Some communities hold the superstition that if your parents are alive, you should leave the sanctuary or prayer room during Yizkor. This is most likely based on the ayin ha’ra, or “evil eye,” the idea that a person or supernatural entity can bewitch an individual merely by looking at them. According to this belief, someone in mourning could become jealous of those who are not in bereavement and harm them with their ayin ha’ra.
In the Talmud, the book of Jewish law, there is a story in which an individual tells an orphan that both his parents are alive. In this story, the orphan responds by glaring at the individual with his ayin ha’ra, cursing both of the person’s parents to pass away.
6. It marks the end of the Days of Awe.
The 10-day period leading up to Yom Kippur is known as the Yamim Noraim, or Days of Awe. These are the first 10 days of the year, according to the lunisolar Hebrew calendar, beginning with Rosh Hashanah. Because the Yamim Noraim adhere to the Hebrew month of Tishrei, Yom Kippur falls on a different Gregorian calendar day each year.
During the Yamim Noraim, Jewish observants try to earn a place in the Book of Life by performing good deeds, apologizing to those we have hurt, and asking G-d for forgiveness. Once Yom Kippur has passed, it is believed that our fates for the coming year are sealed.
*Editor's note: The author of this article writes “G-d” with a hyphen to respect an interpretation of a Jewish rule about honoring the Holy One’s name.
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