Source: Beyond, September 24, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yom Kippur (October 2), the Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the Jewish year. It concludes the Ten Days of Awe, which begin with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). Together, these days call for honest reflection\u2014looking back in repentance for past sins and looking ahead to a new year cleansed and renewed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We hear of the Day of Atonement in Leviticus (16:29), underscoring its profound importance. On this day, both the high priest and the people had roles to play. The priest performed sacrifices of atonement while the people refrained from work and humbled themselves before the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leviticus 16 outlines the high priest\u2019s unique responsibilities. Clothed in white linen as a sign of purity, he would enter the Holy of Holies with offerings: a bull for his household and a goat for the sins of the people. A second goat\u2014the scapegoat\u2014was symbolically burdened with the sins of Israel and sent into the wilderness, signifying removal of guilt and cleansing of the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even today, observant Jews prepare for Yom Kippur by spending the Ten Days of Awe seeking reconciliation with others. The belief is clear: one must be right with one\u2019s neighbor in order to be right with God. This reflects the commandments to love God wholeheartedly (Deuteronomy 6:5) and to love one\u2019s neighbor as oneself (Leviticus 19:18)\u2014commandments Jesus also affirmed again in Mark 12:30\u201331.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Traditions include sharing a meal before the fast begins, lighting memorial candles for deceased parents, and observing a 25-hour period of fasting and abstinence. According to Jewish law, this \u201cself-denial\u201d includes refraining from eating, drinking, bathing, wearing leather shoes, and marital relations. These practices create space for prayer, repentance, and deep dependence on God\u2019s mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At its heart, Yom Kippur is a day of humility and hope\u2014an invitation to turn from sin, repair relationships, and seek forgiveness from the God who cleanses his people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read the full story <\/a>includes six ways you can pray for Jewish people during this time. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Source: Beyond, September 24, 2025 Yom Kippur (October 2), the Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the Jewish year. It concludes the Ten Days of Awe, which begin with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). Together, these days call for honest reflection\u2014looking back in repentance for past sins and looking … Continue reading Jewish World: Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-briefs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14179"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14180,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14179\/revisions\/14180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}