Yom Kippur The Day of Atonement – 2026 (5787)
Kol Nidre: Sunday evening September 20
Fast ends: Monday evening September 21
The holiest and most solemn day of the Jewish year. A 25-hour fast devoted entirely to prayer, repentance and spiritual renewal.
What is Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the Jewish year. We fast for 25 hours, beginning before sunset on the eve of Yom Kippur and ending after nightfall the following evening.
All the laws of Shabbat apply on Yom Kippur, plus additional restrictions: there is no eating or drinking (even water), no wearing of leather shoes, no bathing, no anointing with perfumes or lotions, and no marital relations. All these abstinences contribute to the solemnity and seriousness of the day.
Yom Kippur falls on the 10th of Tishrei, culminating the Ten Days of Repentance that begin on Rosh HaShanah. It is a day when we go without food or other pleasures and devote our attention exclusively to our relationship with God. The day is spent almost entirely in prayer. It can also be a time of great joy when we finally feel the burden of the past year's mistakes and regrets lifted from our shoulders, and feel closer to God.
Jewish tradition holds that on Yom Kippur the Book of Life is sealed – God decides who will live and who will die, who will have a good life and who will have a bad one. On this day, our fate for the coming year is sealed, and so it is of supreme importance that we repent and seek God's forgiveness.
Preparing for Yom Kippur
Erev Yom Kippur
On the day before Yom Kippur it is a mitzvah (commandment) to eat a festive meal in the late afternoon, before the fast begins. This meal, called the seudah hamafseket (the meal of cessation), is the last food we eat before the fast begins at sunset.
It is customary to eat chicken at this meal. Many people avoid spicy or salty foods that may make fasting more difficult. After the meal, candles are lit and the blessing Shehechiyanu (thanking God for keeping us alive to reach this time) is recited.
Kol Nidre
The opening prayer of the evening service is Kol Nidre ('All Vows'), recited predominantly in Aramaic. It annuls all personal vows and pledges made to God. The haunting melody of Kol Nidre is one of the most well-known in all Jewish liturgy.
Wearing White
As on Rosh HaShanah, it is customary to wear white on Yom Kippur to symbolise purity. Many men wear a kittel (white robe) over their clothes. The Torah covers and the curtain over the Ark are also changed to white.
Listen to the prayers
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