Codex of FaithsAn illustrated atlas of belief

Judaism

Yom Kippur

When is Yom Kippur in 2027, the Day of Atonement: the holiest day of the Jewish year, its 25-hour fast, its prayers of repentance and the final shofar blast.

Next date

Monday, 11 October 2027

Begins at sunset the evening before.

Begins at sunset on 10 October and ends at nightfall on 11 October.

In brief

  1. I.Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the Jewish year.
  2. II.It is a day of repentance, when Jews ask forgiveness from God and from each other.
  3. III.Adults fast for about 25 hours, without food or water.
  4. IV.It ends with the Neilah prayer and a single long blast of the shofar.

Chapter I

What it celebrates

In the Bible Yom Kippur was the one day of the year on which the high priest entered the Holy of Holies of the Temple to seek atonement for the people. Since the Temple’s destruction, prayer, fasting and repentance take the place of the sacrifices.

Judaism teaches that Yom Kippur atones for wrongs against God, but wrongs against other people are forgiven only when one has asked them for forgiveness. So the days before are a time to make peace.

Chapter II

How it is kept

A festive meal is eaten before sunset. Then the fast begins: no food or drink, no washing for pleasure, no leather shoes. Synagogues are full for Kol Nidre in the evening and for services through the next day, including the confession of sins said together by the whole community.

At nightfall the closing prayer, Neilah, “the closing of the gates”, ends with a long blast of the shofar, and the fast is broken.

Chapter III

Around the world

In Israel the country comes to a standstill: there are no broadcasts, shops close and the roads empty, filling instead with children on bicycles.

Questions people ask

Why do some people wear white?

White stands for purity and forgiveness, recalling the verse “though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as snow”. Many avoid leather shoes as well.

What is Kol Nidre?

The solemn opening prayer on the eve of Yom Kippur, annulling vows, sung to a famous, haunting melody.

Sources and further reading

  1. Toronto Metropolitan University, “2027 Calendar of Religious, Indigenous and Spiritual Observances”
  2. Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Yom Kippur”
  3. Michael Strassfeld, The Jewish Holidays: A Guide and Commentary (HarperCollins, 1985)

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