Blog: What Yom Kippur means to me
Written by student Sophie Seitler
What is Yom Kippur?
A 25-hour fast with restrictions on footwear, preceded by over a week of repenting (through prayers). No, that’s not the plot of the latest Jennifer Lawrence dystopian blockbuster, but rather the annual rituals surrounding the Jewish Yom Kippur festival. While such actions may, at face value, seem excessive, I want to shed light onto the meaning of the deeper themes of the day - not only for the Jewish community but universally applied values which could help us all strive for a better society for all.
This year Yom Kippur was marked on Friday 11 - Saturday 12 October 2024.
How I observe Yom Kippur
Sundown on Yom Kippur is the start of the 25 hour-fast. This is just one of the pleasures that we refrain from as well as, marital relations, bathing and wearing leather shoes. The day also consists of a varied number of Prayers ranging from accounts of the ancient temple process, the Yizkor memorial service and the reading of the Book of Jonah. One of the most important and harrowing prayers for me is the liturgical poem called Unesaneh Tokef that reflects the solemnness of Yom Kippur.
It’s also customary to hear the Shofar blasts where a ram's horn is blown in synagogue to depict how we all pass before God on the annual day of judgement. This part of the service more than others, symbolises the core of what judgement means, listing the possible scenarios of who will not be written in the Book of Life. This chilling prayer felt increasingly pertinent during the Covid-19 pandemic, and now more than ever with world conflicts. Each year, the prayer becomes more and more relevant.
What is the significance of Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur prayers hope to create a culture of honesty in which we are not ashamed to acknowledge the wrongs we have done. This is why we read the book of Jonah. This story follows a fleeing prophet whose defiance leads him to the belly of a whale. Humbled, he asks for forgiveness and reconciles with his wrongdoings. As such, the book of Jonah embodies the pinnacle transformation, first and foremost of renewing a relationship with yourself and reflecting on past behaviour. In the words of the late Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks; ‘Yom Kippur is a day not just of confession and forgiveness but of profound liberation. Atonement means that we can begin again; meaning we can learn from our mistakes and strive to be better. Yom Kippur teaches us how to use the coming year to bring blessings into the lives of others through gratitude and honesty.
Rather than simply dwelling on the negativities of the human condition, Yom Kippur challenges us to ask ourselves how we can channel these traits towards the greater good. Such sentiments are not restricted to the walls of a Jewish synagogue; they resemble a universally applicable concept of introspection. I do not admire Jonah because he was born great, I admire his journey of self-reflection which made him great. His story symbolises how the path to greatness is paved with the mental resilience of self-reflection, which we can all emulate. Yom Kippur teaches us all that our path in life is dependent on the choices we make to become the people we are.