Yom Kippur: A Day of Awe
Yom Kippur, the day of forgiveness, and purification, and atonement, is regarded as the holiest day of the year in Judaism.Yom Kippur which is on the 10th of the month Tishri of the Jewish calendar, is the highest point of the '10 Teshuvah Days', days of contemplation and self-questioning, that start with Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the New Year. Yom Kippur in Hebrew means the day of atonement. Yom Kippur is the day when we are closest to God and to the essence of our souls. As per the tradition, on Yom Kippur God determines the fate of every individual, therefore during these days we try to compensate for the mistakes we have made, ask for forgiveness, and forgive.
Yom Kippur conveys the message that all people if they shall sincerely and honestly want and decide to do so, can change for the better and improve themselves. On Yom Kippur, we fast, we pray and contemplate on the previous year.
This year Yom Kippur starts several minutes before sunset on Wednesday, September 15th, and ends after nightfall on Thursday, September 16th.