Yom Kippur

9th of Tishri – 10th of Tishri 5786

When we "make someone a scapegoat" or "send them into the wilderness," we are usually unknowingly referring to the biblical background of Yom Kippur. According to the Hebrew Bible, on this day the high priest was to symbolically place the sins of the children of Israel on the head of a goat and send it into the wilderness. This day was the only day on which the High Priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies to effect the forgiveness of sins for the people.

Yom Kippur is referred to as the Day of Atonement because it brings reconciliation between humans and God once a year, and through this, people are cleansed of their sins. Indeed, Yom Kippur absolves sins against God, but sins against one's neighbor are only absolved after the harmed person has been asked for forgiveness. In the medieval song "U-Netane Tokef," the day is also highlighted as the Day of Judgment: "It is true that You are the one who judges and reprimands, who knows everything and bears witness, who writes and seals, who counts and measures." You remember everything that is forgotten. You open the book of records, and everything is read from it. In it lies the signature of every person.

Thus, Yom Kippur is considered the holiest and most important holiday of the year. It is observed as a strict, one-day day of atonement and fasting. Eating, drinking, all kinds of work, and intimacy are forbidden. The service lasts the entire day and is marked by numerous, various prayers and confessions. The color white dominates this day to highlight its special holiness and purity.