Yom Kippur: the Day of Atonement יוֹם כִּפּוּר
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, falls on the 10th of Tishrei, ten days after Rosh Hashanah. It is the holiest day of the Jewish year: a 25-hour fast spent in prayer, repentance and forgiveness.
Day of Atonement · Yom HaKippurim · יום כיפור · 10 Tishrei
What is Yom Kippur?
The Torah describes Yom Kippur as the day on which atonement is granted “to purify you from all your sins before God” (Leviticus 16:30). In the time of the Temple the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies on this day only, after a series of offerings described in Leviticus 16 and in tractate Yoma. Since the destruction of the Temple, prayer and sincere repentance (teshuvah) stand in their place.
Tradition links the day to the giving of the second tablets: Moses came down from Mount Sinai with them on the 10th of Tishrei, a sign that the sin of the golden calf had been forgiven. Yom Kippur is therefore not a gloomy day but one of trust that a person can change and be forgiven.
The Mishna adds an important limit: Yom Kippur atones for sins against God, but wrongs done to other people are forgiven only after the person has been appeased. For this reason it is customary to ask forgiveness from family, friends and colleagues before the fast.
How Yom Kippur is observed
The day before (Erev Yom Kippur)
- It is a mitzvah to eat well on the day before Yom Kippur (Talmud Yoma 81b). The last meal, seudah hamafseket, ends before sunset.
- Many give charity, ask forgiveness from others and immerse in a mikveh. Some Ashkenazim and Sephardim perform kapparot, others give its value to charity.
- Candles are lit before sunset (with the blessing for Yom HaKippurim and Shehecheyanu), and a memorial candle is lit for departed parents. Parents bless their children before going to the synagogue.
The fast and its five restrictions
From sunset until nightfall the next day – about 25 hours – it is forbidden to eat or drink, to wash, to apply creams or oils, to wear leather shoes, and to have marital relations. All the prohibitions of Shabbat also apply.
Health comes first. Children under bar/bat mitzvah age do not fast a full day; a woman within three days after giving birth does not fast; people who are ill, pregnant or nursing with medical concerns must consult a doctor and a rabbi before the day – eating in small measured amounts may be required, and when life is at stake eating is a mitzvah.
The prayers
- Kol Nidrei opens the evening service, followed by Maariv and, for many, Selichot.
- The day has five prayers: Maariv, Shacharit, Musaf, Minchah and Neilah, “the closing of the gates”, said as the sun sets.
- The confession (Viduy – Ashamnu and Al Chet) is said in every Amidah. Musaf includes the Avodah, the account of the High Priest’s service.
- Yizkor, the memorial prayer, is said by Ashkenazim during the day; Sephardim say Hashkavah.
- The fast ends with one long blast of the shofar after Neilah and the words “Next year in Jerusalem”, followed by Havdalah over wine and a candle that burned throughout the day.
Sephardi and Ashkenazi customs
- Clothing: many men wear a white kittel and women wear white, recalling purity and the angels; leather shoes are replaced by canvas or rubber ones.
- Kapparot: performed with a chicken by many Sephardim and some Ashkenazim, while others – following several authorities – use money that is given to charity.
- Liturgy: Sephardi communities sing piyyutim such as Lecha Eli and the moving Kol Nidrei melodies of their tradition; Ashkenazim say Unetaneh Tokef and Yizkor.
- Sephardim say Selichot throughout Elul and the Ten Days; Ashkenazim from the week before Rosh Hashanah.
Yom Kippur dates 2025–2028
Dates follow the Diaspora schedule. Jewish days begin at sundown: a holiday starts in the evening before its first day and ends at nightfall.
| Year | Begins | Ends | Hebrew date | In Israel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Sundown, Wednesday, October 1, 2025 | Nightfall, Thursday, October 2, 2025 | 10 Tishrei 5786 | Same |
| 2026 | Sundown, Sunday, September 20, 2026 | Nightfall, Monday, September 21, 2026 | 10 Tishrei 5787 | Same |
| 2027 | Sundown, Sunday, October 10, 2027 | Nightfall, Monday, October 11, 2027 | 10 Tishrei 5788 | Same |
| 2028 | Sundown, Friday, September 29, 2028 | Nightfall, Saturday, September 30, 2028 | 10 Tishrei 5789 | Same |
Israel and the Diaspora
Yom Kippur is one day everywhere – in Israel and in the Diaspora. In Israel the country comes to a standstill: roads are empty and there is no broadcasting.
Candle-lighting times
Candle-lighting and havdalah times for Shabbat and Yom Tov in 94 cities, computed for your location: Shabbat & holiday candle-lighting times
Related prayers
- Shabbat Candle Blessing הדלקת נרות שבת
- Havdalah הבדלה
- Kaddish קדיש
Greetings
- G’mar Chatima Tova (גמר חתימה טובה) – “May you be sealed for good” – the main Yom Kippur greeting.
- Tzom Kal (צום קל) – “An easy fast” – said before the fast begins.
- Have a meaningful fast – Many prefer this in English, since the aim is not only that the fast be easy.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Yom Kippur in 2027?
- In 2027, Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Sunday, October 10, 2027 and ends at nightfall on Monday, October 11, 2027.
- Do you say “Happy Yom Kippur”?
- Not usually – Yom Kippur is a solemn day. The customary wishes are G’mar Chatima Tova (“may you be sealed for good”), Tzom Kal (“an easy fast”) or “have a meaningful fast”.
- How long is the Yom Kippur fast?
- It begins before sunset on the eve and ends at nightfall the next day, about 25 hours. Exact candle-lighting and end times depend on your city.
- Who is exempt from fasting?
- Children below bar/bat mitzvah age, women right after childbirth, and anyone whose health would be endangered. Pregnant and nursing women and people with medical conditions should ask their doctor and a rabbi in advance.
- Why do people wear white on Yom Kippur?
- White expresses purity and the hope of forgiveness (“if your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow”, Isaiah 1:18). The kittel also recalls burial shrouds, a reminder of humility.
Sources
- Leviticus 16:30
כִּי־בַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יְכַפֵּר עֲלֵיכֶם לְטַהֵר אֶתְכֶם מִכֹּל חַטֹּאתֵיכֶם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה תִּטְהָרוּ
“On this day atonement shall be made for you, to purify you” – the purpose of the day.
- Leviticus 23:27
אַךְ בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי הַזֶּה יוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים הוּא מִקְרָא־קֹדֶשׁ יִהְיֶה לָכֶם וְעִנִּיתֶם אֶת־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם אִשֶּׁה לַיהוָה
The tenth of the seventh month is Yom HaKippurim; “you shall afflict your souls” – the source of the fast.
- Mishna Yoma 8:1
The five afflictions: no eating or drinking, washing, anointing, leather shoes or marital relations.
- Mishna Yoma 8:9
Yom Kippur atones for sins between a person and God; between people, only once the other has been appeased.
- Talmud Bavli, Yoma 81b
Eating on the day before Yom Kippur is counted as if one had fasted on both days.
- Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 604–624; Mishna Berura there
The laws of the eve, the fast, the sick and pregnant, and the prayers of the day.
Hebrew verses: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) via the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible. The explanations on this page are our own, not translations.
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For learning and general information only. Customs differ between communities; for halachic questions ask your rabbi.