Even more than Shabbat, the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, marks a turning point in the daily lives of Jews. At its heart is the theme of forgiveness.
Ten days of repentance and reflection mark the beginning of the Jewish year. They culminate on the 10th of Tishrei in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which this year began on the evening of September 15th. On this occasion, the news site "Algemeiner" explores the significance of the number ten in Judaism.
The Ten Commandments are particularly well-known. But before the people of Israel received them at Mount Sinai, they experienced Egyptian slavery – and the Egyptians suffered ten plagues. The tithe, the portion of income that Jews are supposed to give to God, is also related to this number. Many Christians have adopted this tradition. The article also mentions the ten sons of Haman, the Jew-hater, who incited the Persian King Ahasuerus to allow a massacre of the Jewish population. But the Jewish Queen Esther persuaded her husband to change his mind. The festival of Purim commemorates this event.
The requirement that ten Jewish adults be present for a religious service derives from the story of the patriarch Abraham: Before the destruction of the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, he negotiated with God and asked him to spare them if 50 righteous people could be found there. God agreed and allowed himself to be persuaded to accept only ten righteous people, after which he turned away (Genesis 18:22–33). The number of ten participants in a religious service is called a "minyan" in Hebrew.
Nineveh as a model
Yom Kippur is considered the quintessential Sabbath. From sunset to sunset, most Jews fast on this day. In the synagogue, the Book of Jonah is read. The biblical prophet Jonah defied God's command to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh. Instead, he boarded a ship that was to take him as far west as possible—to Tarshish in Spain. But God brought him to repentance; he preached judgment to the people of Nineveh, and they repented. The city in present-day Iraq was not destroyed because God responded with grace to the inhabitants' willingness to repent.
Leviticus 23:26-32 states: “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘On the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. You shall hold a holy convocation and fast and offer a burnt offering to the Lord. You shall not do any work on that day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for yourselves before the Lord your God. Anyone who does not fast on that day will be cut off from their people. And anyone who does any work on that day, I will destroy from their people. Therefore, you shall not do any work. This shall be a perpetual ordinance throughout your generations, wherever you live. It shall be a Sabbath to you, and you shall fast. On the ninth day of the month, at evening, you shall observe this day of rest, from evening until evening again.’”
A plea for forgiveness as an act of charity
The ten Days of Repentance offer Jews an opportunity to ask God and their fellow human beings for forgiveness for their transgressions. "The Algemeiner" connects this to the commandment in Leviticus 19:18: "Love your neighbor as yourself." The news site also refers to the ancient scholar Hillel the Elder, who said: "Do not do to your neighbor what you yourself would hate. That is the foundation of the Torah; the rest is commentary." (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31a).
In Hebrew, there are three words for forgiveness: slicha, mechila, and kappara. In everyday life in Israel, "slicha" is often heard when someone asks for forgiveness, for example, for accidentally bumping into someone in a crowd. The word "mechila" can mean not only forgiveness but also digging a tunnel, as when prisoners escape from prison. Figuratively, this means that whoever forgives someone for hurting them is freed from the burden associated with that hurt. The term "kappara," in turn, is related to "kippur." The emphasis here is on purification. Through forgiveness, it is as if the wrongdoing never happened. This makes reconciliation possible.
Some people slaughter a rooster on Yom Kippur. The rooster is said to die as a symbolic representation of the person. The ceremony is called "Kapparot".
The root of the word also includes the term "kaporet," as "The Algemeiner" notes. This refers to the covering of the Ark of the Covenant in the sanctuary. The derived word "kofer," in turn, refers to the covering of Noah's Ark and the altar in the Temple. From this, a kind of spiritual covering (dome) originates, separating the sacred from the everyday: the Day of Atonement from daily life, spirituality from materialism. The head covering of Jewish men, known as a "kippah," thus reflects a spiritual dome.
A country stands still
Jews spend most of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, in prayer. Yom Kippur is the only day on which they recite five prescribed prayers. The evening prayer (Aravit or Ma'ariv), the morning prayer (Shacharit), and the afternoon prayer (Mincha) are customary. As on other holy days, there are special additional prayers, collectively known as "Mussaf." Unique to Yom Kippur is the Ne'ila prayer, recited after Mincha. Among other things, it emphasizes that a person can choose to live according to God's commandments.
Until the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur. He sacrificed one goat and sent a second into the desert after symbolically burdening it with the sins of the people of Israel. After the loss of the sanctuary in Jerusalem, Jewish scholars replaced the sacrifice with prayers. Four times on Yom Kippur, a Jew prostrates himself; otherwise, prayers are offered standing.
As commanded in the Bible, public life in Israel comes to a standstill on Yom Kippur. Even more so than on a regular Shabbat, Jews refrain from driving, except in emergencies. Many Jews who consider themselves secular fast and pray on Yom Kippur.
Guidelines for accident prevention
The empty streets are teeming with children on bicycles, skateboards, and roller skates. But accidents happen all too often. The organization "BeTerem" is concerned about the safety of boys and girls. According to their figures, 470 children were injured during the Days of Atonement in Israel between 2010 and 2016. Two years ago, eight-year-old Itaj Margie died when he was run over by a car. A court sentenced the driver to nine years in prison.
To reduce the number of accidents, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has issued guidelines for Yom Kippur this year. According to the Jerusalem Post, these guidelines stipulate that bicycles, scooters, inline skates, and skateboards must display a warning label indicating the maximum permissible weight. Helmets are also mandatory. Children must be supervised by an adult when using these vehicles.
The traditional ram's horn, the shofar, announces the end of the holiday. It has many symbolic meanings. It serves as a moral wake-up call, representing optimism, determination, or humility. The Bible recounts how Abraham sacrificed a ram instead of his son Isaac (Genesis 22). And when the people of Israel received the Ten Commandments at Sinai, the shofar was heard. The instrument also commemorates the conquest of Jericho under Joshua's leadership (Joshua 6) and Gideon's victory over the numerically superior Midianite army (Judges 7).
According to Jewish belief, at the end of Yom Kippur, when the shofar is sounded, God seals his judgment on the lives of those praying. Therefore, before the Day of Atonement, Jews wish each other "Gmar chatima tova"—a good inscription in the Book of Life. As on Shabbat, the Havdalah prayer, which separates the sacred from the secular, marks the beginning of everyday life. Now, those who have fasted resume eating and drinking. Some even begin to build the sukkah for the upcoming Sukkot festival.
1973: Surprise attack on a fasting day
Israelis associate a painful chapter of their history with Yom Kippur 48 years ago: On October 6, 1973, Arab troops attacked Israel during the holy day. Despite the surprise attack, the Israelis ultimately won the war. It went down in history as the Yom Kippur War; Arabs call it the "October War.".
