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What Yom Kippur Celebrates
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day in the Jewish year. It marks the final opportunity during the Ten Days of Repentance for Jews to reflect on their actions, seek forgiveness, and repair their relationship with God.
Many Jews believe that during this period God judges every person and, at the end of Yom Kippur, seals the Book of Life, determining what the coming year will hold. For this reason, Yom Kippur is a deeply spiritual day focused on atonement, repentance, and the hope of being forgiven through God’s mercy.
How Yom Kippur Is Celebrated
Yom Kippur is observed through a 25-hour fast in which Jews refrain from:
eating
drinking
working
washing
wearing leather shoes
engaging in sexual relations.
This “self-denial,” commanded in the Torah, helps worshippers focus completely on spiritual matters rather than physical needs. Before the fast begins, families share a large meal to prepare themselves physically and spiritually for the solemn day ahead.
Much of Yom Kippur is spent in the synagogue. The festival begins with the famous Kol Nidre service, in which a haunting prayer is sung three times, asking God to release worshippers from vows or promises they were unable to keep.
Throughout the day, the synagogue services centre on repentance, confession, and reflection, often with the doors of the Ark left open to symbolise God’s readiness to listen.
The Book of Jonah is traditionally read, reminding Jews that God forgives anyone—Jew or non-Jew—who sincerely repents.
Take it further: the Book of Jonah
The Book of Jonah tells the story of a prophet called Jonah, who is commanded by God to go to the city of Nineveh and warn the people there that their wicked behaviour will lead to destruction. Jonah does not want to go - partly because Nineveh is the enemy of Israel, and partly because he knows God is compassionate and may forgive them. Instead of obeying, he tries to run away by boarding a ship in the opposite direction.
God sends a violent storm, and Jonah realises it is because he has disobeyed. In order to save the sailors, he asks them to throw him overboard. When they do, the storm immediately stops. Jonah is then swallowed by a huge fish, where he remains for three days and three nights. Inside the fish, he prays, repents, and promises to obey God. God commands the fish to release him.
Jonah then travels to Nineveh, delivers God’s warning, and to his surprise the people listen. The entire city - not just individuals, but the king and all the citizens - repent, fast, and turn away from evil. Because they sincerely change their behaviour, God decides not to destroy the city.
Jonah becomes angry, because he wanted Nineveh to be punished. God teaches him a lesson through the plant that grows and dies overnight, showing Jonah that God cares deeply for all people, not just the Israelites. God explains that He has compassion even for those who have done wrong, and He wants people to have the chance to repent and live better lives.
As the day ends, the Ne’ilah (closing) service gives worshippers a final chance to seek forgiveness before the Book of Life is sealed. A long blast on the shofar signals the end of the fast and the close of the festival.
Symbols and Meanings
Yom Kippur is rich in symbolism. Many Jews wear white, representing purity and the hope of being cleansed from sin. The fast itself symbolises humility and sincere repentance, showing that worshippers place their spiritual relationship with God above physical comfort.
Yom Kippur also recalls the ancient Temple ritual of the scapegoat, in which the High Priest symbolically placed the people’s sins onto a goat and sent it into the wilderness. This powerful image expresses the belief that sin can be removed and a new beginning offered.
In some communities, the Kapparot ritual is performed before Yom Kippur, symbolically transferring wrongdoing onto money that is then given to charity, reinforcing the themes of repentance, charity, and moral responsibility. Finally, the shofar blast marks both an ending and a new spiritual start.
Sources of Authority
The observance of Yom Kippur comes directly from the Torah. In Leviticus 16:29–31, Jews are commanded to practise self-denial and understand that on this day atonement is made for them so that they may be cleansed of their sins.
Similarly, the Torah instructs them to
“deny themselves and do no work” (Numbers 29)
This reinforces the solemn and sacred nature of the festival. These passages provide the scriptural foundation for fasting, repentance, and the belief that Yom Kippur is a unique opportunity for purification and renewal.