Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Friday

Jews around the world will celebrate Yom Kippur from sundown on Friday through sundown on Saturday.  The name Yom Kippur translates from Hebrew to English as the Day of Atonement. Jewish people may spend the day fasting, attending synagogue or observing the holiday in other ways. It follows Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year,

“Spiritually, they say on Rosh Hashanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed, the idea being that everything that’s going to happen in the year to come, the stage is set during this time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur,” Danielle Kranjec, associate vice president of Jewish education at Hillel International, told “USA Today.”

The period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is called the “10 Days of Awe.” During this period, God will judge whether given Jewish people will live or die in the coming year. “Jewish law teaches that God inscribes the names of the righteous in the ‘book of life’ and condemns the wicked to death on Rosh Hashanah; people who fall between the two categories have until Yom Kippur to perform ‘Teshuvah,’ or repentance,” according to History.com.

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Many Jews observing the holiday spend the holiday in prayer. It is a day for solemnity rather than celebration. “For nearly 26 hours we ‘afflict our souls,'” according to Chabad.org. Chabad.org. “We abstain from food and drink, do not wash or apply lotions or creams, do not wear leather footwear and abstain from marital relations. Instead, we spend the day in synagogue, praying for forgiveness.”

In Jewish tradition, one’s fate is decided on Rosh Hashanah and sealed on Yom Kippur.

“In English, you might say to friends or colleagues ‘have a meaningful Yom Kippur,’” Kranjec said. “Focusing on the meaning of the holiday and saying to people ‘have a meaningful fast if you’re fasting,’ or you could even say, ‘have a good Yom Kippur,’ but happy is probably not the right adjective.”

The traditional greeting is “G’mar chatima tova” which translates to “May you be sealed in the Book of Life.” People also could say “have an easy fast.”

–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice