Day of Atonement Holiest and Most Solemn Day in the Jewish Religious Calendar; Observed on 10 Tishri as the Climax of the Ten Days of Repentance Which Begin on the New Year, Rosh Ha-Shanah. It Is Kept as a Strict 25-Hour Fast, from Sunset When It Commences until Nightfall the Next Evening When It Terminates. Like the Other Major Festivals, Its Authority Derives from the Pentateuch, Where It Is Called Yom (Ha- ) Kippurim, "the Day of Atonement," and Shabbat Shabbaton, "the Sabbath of Sabbaths" or "a Sabbath of Solemn Rest" (Lev. 23:27,32; 25:9). Traditionally, It Is Also Known as Yom Ha- Din, the Day of Judgment (Cf. Rh 1.2), and of All the Jewish Fast Days Is the Only One Never Postponed If It Coincides with a Sabbath. Among Ashkenazim, the Day of Atonement Is Generally Designated Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"), Whereas Sephardim Usually Refer to It as "Kippur."

The Importance of This Day and the Authority for Its Mode of Observance Rest upon Specific Biblical Commandments "to Make Atonement before the Lord" and "Afflict Your Soul" (Lev. 16: 29-31, 23:27-32; Num. 29:7). Afflicting One's Soul Was Interpreted by the Sages to Mean Abstaining from Food and Drink; Atoning Was Understood to Mean Three Related Acts That Would Relieve One from the Burden of Sin - - Acknowledging the Transgressions, Declaring Repentance through a Process of Confession, and Then Making Atonement before God in Order to Obtain His Forgiveness. The Fast, the Penitential Prayers (Selihot), the Bible Readings, the Formulas of Confession (Viddu'i), and Every Part of the Atonement Day Ritual Emphasize This Single Theme. All the Basic Laws Are Outlined in the Mishnaic Tractate Yoma.

Every Male over the Age of 13 and Every Female over 12 Is Obligated to Fast. Sick People May Take Medicine and Small Amounts of Food and Drink; on the Advice of Their Doctor or Rabbi, Those Who Are Ill May Even Be Forbidden to Fast Altogether. Normal Sabbath Prohibitions Apply on the Day of Atonement Together with the Five Statutory Rules of Mortification: Abstention from Food and Drink, Marital Relations, Wearing Leather Shoes, Using Cosmetics and Lotions, and Washing Any Part of the Body Other than the Fingers and Eyes.

The Rabbis Insisted That the Day of Atonement Enables Man to Atone for Sins against God, but Not for Those Committed against His Fellowman; Unless Forgiveness Has Been Sought from the Injured Party, Atonement Will Have No Effect, nor Should Anyone Transgress in the Expectation That His Sins Will Be Pardoned on the Day of Atonement (Yoma 8.9). On the Eve of the Day of Atonement, Therefore, It Has Become Customary for Pious Jews to Seek Reconciliation with Anyone Whom They May Have Offended in the Course of the Year, so as to Begin the Religious Exercises with a Clear Conscience and the Hope of Being Inscribed in the Book of Life.

Symbolic Malkot ("Lashes") Were Once Administered in the Synagogue, to Induce a Feeling of Contrition, but This Custom Has Largely Declined. Prior to the Day of Atonement, the Kapparot Ritual Is Still Maintained by Sephardi and Eastern Communities, and Some Orthodox Ashkenazim. This Entails the Symbolic Transfer of Guilt from a Person to a Fowl, Which Is Then Slaughtered, and Either Eaten before the Fast or Sold for Money That Is Given to Charity. Many Jews Nowadays Substitute Coins for the Fowl, and in Traditional Congregations a Number of Charity Boxes Are Available at the Morning and Early Afternoon Services Preceding the Day of Atonement.