What is Yom Kippur

Eight days after Rosh Hashana ends, it’s Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is the most serious Jewish holiday, representing the Day of Atonement. Many Jewish people fast the entire day while thinking about the resolutions made just eight days before and promise to strive harder to keep them. [We eat a hearty meal the night before.]

Yom Kippur is the day our fate is sealed for the new year ahead, and it’s our last chance to repent any wrong-doings and focus on being a better person. Whereas Rosh Hashana is a fun celebration focused on a new start, Yom Kippur is the serious reminder that plans to change need to be kept.

I read a funny quote [well I thought it was funny] from John Stewart:

 ”We have amazing holidays. Yom Kippur – Jewish day of atonement. You don’t eat for one day. All your sins for the year are wiped clean. Beat that with your little *Lent*. What is that? Forty days of absolution? Forty days to one. Wake up!” -Jon Stewart

There are a few important rules for Yom Kippur that Jewish people honor. These are;

• No eating or drinking for the entire 24 hours
• No baths or showers
• No makeup or perfume is worn
• No leather is worn, including shoes
• No marital relations
• No working or exchange of money
• It’s also encouraged for everyone to wear white on Yom Kippur, to represent the purity of their ‘clean slate.’