pWotD Episode 3075: Yom Kippur

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With 412,350 views on Thursday, 2 October 2025 our article of the day is Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur ( YOM kip-OOR, YAWM KIP-ər, YOHM-; Hebrew: יוֹם כִּפּוּר‎ Yōm Kippūr [ˈjom kiˈpuʁ], lit. 'Day of Atonement') is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October.

Rooted in the Torah's commandments, in antiquity it centered on the High Priest's Temple service and has since evolved into a day of atonement and repentance, reflection, confession, and seeking forgiveness from both God and others. The day's main observances consist of full fasting and abstaining from physical comforts, attending extended prayer services (usually at synagogue) and reciting confessional prayers. Some modern Jewish denominations, such as Reconstructionist Judaism, focus less on sins and emphasize personal reflection, goal-setting, and intentions for the year ahead.

Along with Rosh Hashanah, it forms the High Holy Days, concluding the Ten Days of Repentance by sealing the judgment begun on Rosh Hashanah and highlighting teshuva (repentance), unity, and closeness to God. Distinctive practices include five prayer services, the Kol Nidre and Avodah liturgies, and wearing white to symbolize purity. In Israel, public life largely comes to a halt, while globally it is observed by both religious and secular Jews. Beyond religious contexts, it carries cultural significance, with public figures honoring the day, and in 2016 it was officially recognized as a United Nations holiday.

While Jewish tradition links Yom Kippur to Moses, some scholars suggest it emerged later, around the 5th–4th century BCE as a priestly innovation, with its scapegoat ritual having historical parallels in an ancient Syro-Anatolian practice of symbolically transferring impurity to animals.

This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:03 UTC on Friday, 3 October 2025.

For the full current version of the article, see Yom Kippur on Wikipedia.

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Until next time, I'm neural Joanna.