YOM KIPPUR
יום כיפור« A day to return to the essential. »
Next occurrenceFrom the evening of Sunday 10 October 2027 until Monday 11 October 2027 · In 348 days
The feast begins the evening before, at sunset.
Calendar: choose your city to determine the Israel or Diaspora context.
The essentials
In brief
Yom Kippur, on the 10th of Tishrei, is the holiest and most solemn day of the Jewish year.
The Torah presents it as a day of atonement and purification: a time devoted to Teshuva, prayer, and return to Hashem.
During this day, we set aside material concerns to devote ourselves to introspection, repairing our actions, and forgiveness.
Yom Kippur also concerns our relationships with others: wrongs committed against our fellow require seeking their forgiveness and repairing what can be repaired.
LEARN MORE ABOUT YOM KIPPUR ↓
WHY YOM KIPPUR IS UNIQUE
Yom Kippur is presented by the Torah as the day of atonement and purification: an entire day devoted to standing before Hashem.
It is the culmination of the days of Teshuva that began at Rosh Hashanah: what was undertaken during those days finds here its most intense point.
This day opens the possibility of a true new beginning: not forgetting the past, but facing it, repairing it, and starting again differently.
TESHUVA
Teshuva is a path, not a formula. It is built through a few simple and demanding steps.
- Recognize one's mistakes, without minimizing them.
- Sincerely regret what was done.
- Repair whenever possible.
- Make a concrete commitment for the future.
BETWEEN A PERSON AND HIS FELLOW
Yom Kippur does not automatically erase wrongs committed against another person.
When one has hurt or wronged someone, one must seek to repair the harm caused and obtain their forgiveness.
This is often the most difficult step of the day — and the most meaningful.
Reference: Mishnah Yoma 8:9.
THE FAST AND THE RESTRICTIONS
The day is marked by five traditional restrictions, which help detach from the material:
- Eating and drinking.
- Washing.
- Anointing oneself.
- Wearing leather shoes.
- Marital relations.
Medical or personal situations require appropriate halakhic guidance. When in doubt, ask your Rabbi.
THE KEY MOMENTS OF PRAYER
The day is structured by a sequence of services, from the evening it begins until its closing.
- Kol Nidrei, at the start of the day.
- Arvit, the evening prayer.
- Shacharit, the morning prayer.
- Musaf and the recounting of the Temple's Avoda.
- Mincha and the reading of the book of Jonah.
- Neilah, the closing service.
- End of the day and the sounding of the Shofar.
Editorial references: Vayikra / Leviticus 16:30 · Mishnah Yoma 8:9
Festival dates
From the evening of Sunday 10 October 2027 until Monday 11 October 2027
י׳ תִּשְׁרֵי תשפ״ח
The feast begins the evening before, at sunset.
Key points
- Yom Kippur falls on the 10th of Tishrei.
- The day is devoted to Teshuva, prayer, and forgiveness.
- The fast begins before nightfall and ends the following night.
- Wrongs against others require repair and a request for forgiveness.
- Neilah is the last major service of the day.
PRACTICAL INFO — THIS OCCURRENCE
Jerusalem
Times for this occurrence, calculated for Jerusalem (Israel) in its own time zone.
Times are unavailable for this date and city.
For any personal situation or halachic question, seek guidance from your Rabbi.
What this feast teaches us
« Yom Kippur invites us to look at our actions and our responsibility toward others. »
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