What is Yom Kippur? Yom Kippur translates to "Day of Atonement" and is the most significant holiday of the Jewish calendar.
Q: Why is Yom Kippur so important?
A: Yom Kippur is a serious and introspective day spent fasting and praying for forgiveness, and resolving to do better in the coming year. Another name for the holiday is Yom haDin, the Day of Judgment, when God judges all of the actions and intentions from each individual's year and decides the fate of the person in the coming year.
Q: When is Yom Kippur?
A: On the Hebrew calendar, Yom Kippur is the 10th day of Tishre. It is 10 days after Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish calendar year, capping the Days of Awe, a time of reflection and repentance. It occurs around September or beginning of October on the secular calendar.
Q: What do people do to observe Yom Kippur?
A: Yom Kippur is observed by adults fasting from sundown to sundown, refraining from work, and spending the day involved in communal prayer and repentance. There are also prohibitions which include drinking, bathing, wearing leather and sexual relations. The focus is meant to be on prayer only. At sundown, the Shofar is blown, and everyone begins the year feeling joyful in his or her resolve to have a good year. A meal to "break the fast" is served at sundown.
Q: What is the Yom Kippur War? Is this part of the holiday?
A: The Yom Kippur war was begun by the Arabs, Egypt and Syria in an attack against Israel on Yom Kippur (October 6) in 1973. It was a surprise to the Israelis, as the Jewish State of Israel observes Yom Kippur, with government offices and businesses closed and very little traffic.
Q: What is the customary greeting on Yom Kippur?
A: L'shanah tovah (a good year) or G'mar chatima tovah (a good finish, meaning a positive result for the fasting and prayer, leading to a good year coming).
 | The significance of Yom Kippur is that it means "Day of Atonement," and it refers to asking forgiveness for ways in which we have missed the mark in the past year. |
 | The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, is one of the most ancient Jewish holidays on the Hebrew calendar. It is mentioned in the Torah, in Leviticus 23:27, specifically described as a day abstaining from work and atoning for misdeeds. |
Learn more about the major Jewish holidays, including Rosh Hashanah, Chanukah and Purim. |
 | In contrast to Rosh Hashanah, a festive and generally upbeat holiday, Yom Kippur is solemn and somber. Jews refer to it as the "Day of Atonement," occuring on the final day of the Ten Days of Repentance. |
Each Yom Kippur prayer is special for reflecting the solemn themes of the holiday. Yom Kippur means "Day of Atonement," and it is the second of the two holiest holidays on the Jewish calendar. |
