Ten days after Rosh Hashanah comes Yom Kippur, a day focused entirely on apologizing for our actions over the past year. On Yom Kippur, the culmination of a season of self-reflection in the Jewish calendar, one prays for forgiveness for errors of the past year and considers how to change for the better in the coming year.
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Yom Kippur is known as the day of atonement and is considered by many to be the most important holiday in Judaism. Yom Kippur is about asking forgiveness from those we’ve wronged as well forgiving those who have wronged us. Yom Kippur means the “day of covering over.” The image is both covering over our bad actions from the previous year and planting seeds beneath the soil for good deeds in the year to come.
Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 and ends at nightfall on Thursday, October 2, 2025. Jewish holidays begin at sundown because Jewish tradition follows its own special calendar.
Yom Kippur is one day long.
Yom Kippur is a community experience. Millions of Jewish people are spending the day doing the same thing: fasting and attending services. The prayers for Yom Kippur talk about mistakes WE have made, because on this day everyone stands together, even when apart. All of us, young and old, make mistakes, and we all deserve a second chance.
It's traditional not to shower on Yom Kippur, so some people shower right before the fast begins. On a day when we’re thinking about cleaning ourselves on the inside, it’s nice to start clean on the outside. Since Yom Kippur is a day of fasting, it’s also customary to eat a nice, big, special meal before the holiday commences.
While customs vary all over the world, many communities wear white garments on Yom Kippur. People also eschew leather shoes and accessories.
Use the tiles to find book lists, how-tos, podcast episodes, and other resources to help children engage during Yom Kippur.
While children may be too young for some of the rituals associated with Yom Kippur, kids of all ages understand the weight of "saying sorry" and learning to do better. Here are some peeks inside Yom Kippur traditions and how to include children at various developmental milestones.
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