A day of silence
...In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and you shall not do any work ... For on that day he shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins before the L-RD. -Leviticus 16:29-30
Yom Kippur (Hebrew: יוֹם כִּפּוּר, IPA: [jɔm kiˈpur] or [jɔm ˈkɪpər]) is a Jewish holiday, known as the Day of Atonement. It is considered to be one of the holiest and most solemn days of the year. Its central theme is atonement and repentance for sins against both God and one's fellow man.
The Torah calls the day Yom HaKippurim (יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, "The Day of Atonements") and in Leviticus 23:27 decrees a strict prohibition of work and affliction of the soul upon the tenth day of the seventh month, later known as Tishrei. It is commemorated in Rabbinic Judaism with a 25-hour fast and intensive prayer.
Five prohibitions are traditionally observed, as detailed in the Jewish oral tradition (Mishnah tractate Yoma 8:1):
- Eating and drinking
- Wearing leather shoes
- Bathing/washing
- Anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions
- Marital relations
Total abstention from food and drink usually begins 18 minutes before sundown (called tosefet Yom Kippur lit. Addition to Yom Kippur ), and ends after nightfall the following day; the oral canon imposes this additional requirement to fast for part of the previous day.
