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    • When is the Jewish Day of Atonement and what do you need to know?
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    When is the Jewish Day of Atonement and what do you need to know?

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    Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year in Judaism and follows Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

    The name of the holiday translates from Hebrew to English as the Day of Atonement, and Jewish people may spend the day fasting, attending synagogue, or celebrating the holiday in other ways. It follows Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

    “Spiritually, they say it was written on Rosh Hashanah, and on Yom Kippur it was sealed. The idea is that everything that will happen in the coming year will take place during this period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.” Danielle Kranjec, associate vice president of Jewish education at Hillel International, told USA TODAY.

    Here’s what you need to know about Yom Kippur:

    When is Yom Kippur 2024? How long does it take?

    This year, Yom Kippur begins at sunset on Friday, October 11, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, October 12, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

    Yom Kippur takes place 10 days after Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

    What is Yom Kippur?

    Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, is the day when Jews reflect on the sins and misdeeds of the previous year. Many Jews will attend services in synagogues or other congregations, reciting special prayers and singing special songs.

    “Over the course of the year, people get off track,” Steven T. Katz, the Slater professor of Jewish and Holocaust studies at Boston University, told USA TODAY. “They are not fulfilling their obligations. They don’t follow the law. They abuse their neighbors. They are selfish and selfish. So the goal is to try to reaffirm a kind of camaraderie, a harmonious and ethical relationship between people and also between the world above and the world below.”

    “It represents the moment set to reorient ourselves in the right direction. “No other festival has the same spiritual power as the idea of ​​Yom Kippur,” he added.

    Some Jewish people may also apologize to friends and loved ones.

    “A deeply Jewish idea is that if you have hurt someone else, only that person can forgive you,” Kranjec said. “Many people in the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur try to take stock of their relationships and immediately ask for forgiveness for the harm they have caused to someone else.”

    Why do Jewish people fast on Yom Kippur?

    One of the most common Yom Kippur traditions is to fast for 25 hours and not eat or drink from the night Yom Kippur begins until the night it ends.

    Kranjec explained that “many Jewish rituals and celebrations involve sensory experiences, whether that’s enjoying delicious food that is then elevated with a blessing or some other kind of moment of mindfulness.

    “Yom Kippur is truly the only day in the Jewish calendar when Jewish people attempt to transcend the physical limitations of living in a human body,” she added.

    Some Jewish people also avoid other actions on Yom Kippur, such as bathing, putting on makeup, wearing leather shoes, or having sex.

    “These things kind of feel like they’re limiting the ego. When you’re fasting, you don’t feel as powerful. You don’t feel like you’re in charge. You don’t feel like you’re in control. Not wearing leather shoes is another sign of disengagement,” Katz said.

    How else is Yom Kippur celebrated?

    Many Jewish families and communities will gather before the start of Yom Kippur and after its end to eat festive meals, prepare for fasting, and then break the fast together.

    Another important celebration is the blowing of the shofar, or bowed ram’s horn. The shofar is ceremonially blown to conclude Yom Kippur, Kranjec said.

    “That is an important communal moment when the closing prayers of Yom Kippur are said together, and someone blows the ram’s horn and everyone hears it together, and then the fast is broken together,” she said.

    Yom Kippur in Louisville

    These Jewish congregations will hold services for Yom Kippur 2024:

    Is it appropriate to say Happy Yom Kippur?

    No, saying “Happy Yom Kippur” to your Jewish loved ones doesn’t quite strike the right note, as the holiday is not typically cheerful.

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

    This story has been updated to meet our standards.

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