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When is the Jewish Day of Atonement and what should you know?

Posted on by Vanessa
When is the Jewish Day of Atonement and what should you know?

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Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year in Judaism and follows Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

The name of the holiday can be translated from Hebrew into English as Day of Atonement. Jewish people may spend the day fasting, attending synagogue, or otherwise celebrating the holiday. It follows Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

“Spiritually, it is said to be written on Rosh Hashanah and sealed on Yom Kippur. The idea is that everything that will happen in the coming year will be prepared during this time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur,” Danielle Kranjec, assistant vice president of Jewish education at Hillel International, told USA TODAY.

Here's what you need to know about Yom Kippur:

When is Yom Kippur 2024? How long does it take?

This year, Yom Kippur begins at sunset on Friday, October 11th and ends at nightfall on Saturday, October 12th, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.

Yom Kippur occurs ten days after Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

What is Yom Kippur?

Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, is the day when Jews reflect on sins or wrongdoings of the past year. Many Jews attend services in synagogues or other communities, say special prayers and sing special songs.

“As the year goes on, people get off track,” Steven T. Katz, Slater Professor of Jewish and Holocaust Studies at Boston University, told USA TODAY. “They are not fulfilling their obligations. They don't follow the law. They mistreat their neighbors. They are selfish and self-serving. So the aim is to try to restore a kind of camaraderie, a harmonious and ethical relationship between people and also between the world above and the world below.”

“It represents the moment created to reorient us in the right direction. “No other festival has the same spiritual power as the idea of ​​Yom Kippur,” he added.

Some Jews may also apologize to friends and family.

“A deeply Jewish idea is that if you have harmed another person, only that person can forgive you,” Kranjec said. “Many people seek to take stock of their relationships during the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and directly seek forgiveness for the harm they have caused another person.”

Why do Jewish people fast on Yom Kippur?

One of the most common Yom Kippur traditions is to fast for 25 hours and not eat or drink anything from the night Yom Kippur begins until the night it ends.

Kranjec explained, “Many Jewish rituals and customs have to do with sensory experiences, be it the enjoyment of delicious food followed by a blessing, or some other type of moment of mindfulness.”

“Yom Kippur is truly the only day in the Jewish calendar when Jewish people attempt to overcome the physical limitations of being in a human body,” she added.

Some Jews also avoid other activities on Yom Kippur, such as bathing, applying makeup, wearing leather shoes or having sex.

“These things have a kind of ego-limiting feel to them. When you fast, you don't feel quite as powerful. You don't feel like you're in charge. You don't feel like you're in control. If you don’t wear leather shoes, that’s again a sign of withdrawal,” said Katz.

How else is Yom Kippur celebrated?

Many Jewish families and communities gather before and after Yom Kippur to eat festive meals, prepare for the fast, and then break the fast together.

Another important custom is blowing the shofar or a curved ram's horn. The shofar will be sounded ceremoniously at the end of Yom Kippur, Kranjec said.

“This is an important communal moment where the final prayers of Yom Kippur are said together, someone blows the ram's horn and everyone hears it together, and then the fast is broken together,” she said.

Yom Kippur in Louisville

These Jewish communities will hold services on Yom Kippur 2024:

Is it appropriate to say “Happy Yom Kippur”?

No, saying “Happy Yom Kippur” to your Jewish loved ones doesn’t quite hit the right note since the holiday isn’t typically a joyful one.

“In English, you could say to friends or colleagues, 'Have a meaningful Yom Kippur,'” Kranjec said. “Focus on the meaning of the holiday and tell people, 'Fast meaningfully when you fast,' or you could even say, 'Have a good Yom Kippur,' but 'happy' is probably not the right adjective. “

This story has been updated to meet our standards.

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