Guide Note

Yom Kippur is the Jewish "Day of Atonement," and the last of the annual Jewish High Holidays. In observance of Yom Kippur, Jews fast until sundown, attend synagogue and refrain from work. Widely considered the most important of Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur is a day in which Jews atone for the sins of the past year.¹

Fast Facts

1. 2008: From October 8th to October 9th
2. No work is allowed on the day
3. Observers traditionally wear white
4. Concluding Service known as Ne'ilah
5. Followed by the feast of Sukkot five days later

Jews describe the abstentions of Yom Kippur as an "affliction" of the soul, with the goal of atoning for the sins of the past year. The five afflictions—eating, drinking, washing and anointing the body with fragrance, wearing leather shoes and sex—represent the various ways in which people transgress.

1. Food
2. Beverages
3. Bathing
4. Perfume
5. Deodorant
6. Cosmetics
7. Leather Shoes
8. Sex

• "For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before G‑d"—Leviticus 16:30³