The Day of Atonement, known as Yom Kippur, is one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar, observed by fasting, prayer, and reflection. It falls on the 10th day of Tishrei, the seventh month in the Hebrew calendar. Yom Kippur is a day set aside for atonement and repentance, where individuals seek forgiveness from God for their sins and make amends with others.
Biblical references to Yom Kippur are primarily found in the Torah, particularly in the book of Leviticus. The key passages include:
1. **Leviticus 16:29-31**: This passage outlines the instructions regarding the Day of Atonement, indicating that it is a time for the people to afflict their souls and seek atonement for their sins.
– **Verse 29**: “And this shall be a statute forever for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you.”
– **Verse 30**: “For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.”
2. **Leviticus 23:26-32**: This section addresses the sacredness of the Day of Atonement.
– **Verse 27**: “Also on the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.”
– **Verse 28**: “And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God.”
3. **Numbers 29:7-11**: This passage further reiterates the observance of Yom Kippur and the offerings to be made.
– **Verse 7**: “On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall afflict your souls. You shall not do any work.”
The rituals associated with Yom Kippur include the confession of sins (vidui), the recitation of prayers, and the ritual of the scapegoat, where a goat is sent into the wilderness symbolically carrying the sins of the community (Leviticus 16:10). This day emphasizes themes of repentance, self-reflection, and reconciliation with God and fellow humans.
Yom Kippur concludes with the Neilah service, the closing prayers, and the blowing of the shofar (a ram’s horn), marking the end of the fasting and the Day of Atonement.