Yom Kippur

[ yawm kip-er, yohm, yom; Sephardic Hebrew yawm kee-poor; Ashkenazic Hebrew yohm ki-puhr ]

noun

, Judaism.

1. a Jewish high holy day observed on the 10th day of the month of Tishri by abstinence from food and drink and by the daylong recitation of prayers of repentance in the synagogue.

Yom Kippur

/ jɔm kiˈpur; jɒm ˈkɪpə /

noun

1. an annual Jewish holiday celebrated on Tishri 10 as a day of fasting, on which prayers of penitence are recited in the synagogue throughout the day Also calledDay of Atonement

Yom Kippur

1. In Judaism , the Day of Atonement , the most important religious holiday; a day of fasting to atone for sins. It comes in autumn. ( See Rosh Hashanah .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Yom Kippur¹

From Hebrew, equivalent to yōm “day” + kippūr “atonement”

Word History and Origins

Origin of Yom Kippur¹

from Hebrew, from yōm day + kippūr atonement

More About Yom Kippur

What is Yom Kippur?

Yom Kippur is a Jewish holiday devoted to atoning for sins. It’s considered the holiest day of the year in Judaism.

Yom Kippur is also called the Day of Atonement. Observation of Yom Kippur is marked by fasting and prayers of repentance during a daylong service in the synagogue.

It is the culmination of a 10-day period of penitence that starts with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. This period is referred to as the High Holidays or the Days of Awe.

When is Yom Kippur?

Yom Kippur is observed each year on the 10th day of Tishri, the first month of the Jewish calendar. Because the Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar, the specific date on which Yom Kippur falls changes each year.

In 2023, Yom Kippur begins on the evening of September 24 and is observed until sundown on September 25.

In 2024, Yom Kippur begins on the evening of October 11 and is observed until sundown on October 12.

More information and context on Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur is also known as the Day of Atonement because that’s what it literally means. Its name comes from the Hebrew words yōm, meaning “day,” and kippūr, meaning “atonement.”

According to Jewish tradition, the period that begins with Rosh Hashanah and ends with Yom Kippur is when God renders judgment, so many Jews use the time to pray and make amends (atone) for the wrongs they have committed.

Yom Kippur is believed to originate with the story of God presenting Moses with the Ten Commandments, the first of which prohibits worshiping other gods. When Moses returned with the stone tablets that contained the commandments, he found the Israelites worshipping an idol in the form of a golden calf. Moses smashed the tablets in anger, but the Israelites atoned, and God forgave them and provided new tablets.

What are some terms that often get used in discussing Yom Kippur?

• Day of Atonement
• atone
• forgiveness
• repentance
• High Holidays
• Days of Awe
• Rosh Hashanah
• Tishri
• Jewish calendar
• synagogue

How is Yom Kippur used in real life?

In Judaism, Yom Kippur is considered the most important and holiest day of the year. Many Jews spend the day in the synagogue reciting prayers of repentance.

our synagogue's cantor asked me to read torah on yom kippur and i agreed pray for me 🙏

— serena! (@supserena1) August 12, 2021

Oh my goodness I just got invited by the Providence congregation I’ve been davening with to do the blessings over the Third Aliyah at Yom Kippur morning services … I was not prepared for how emotional that invitation made me … sorry brb having lots of Jewish Feelings

— Abraham Josephine Riesman (אבי ריסמן) (@abrahamjoseph) August 19, 2021

“If Sandy Koufax refused to pitch in the first game of the World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur, you can sit in synagogue on Yom Kippur too!” -every Jewish mother EVER. Happy 85th to an outstanding baseball player and a terrific mensch!

— motherofthree (@TheDrewView) December 30, 2020

 

Try using Yom Kippur!

True or False?

Yom Kippur is considered one of the Jewish High Holidays.