A Guide to Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement

The Day of Atonement is the most serious holiday in the Israelite calendar. Though it only lasts for one day, it is the most restrictive and strict.

The requirements are as follows (From Leviticus 23:26-32, KJV):
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

     As shown by the "cut off from your people" and "destroy your soul" threats, this is not a holiday to mess around with. To break it all down,
1) It is a holy convocation--convocation meaning "meeting"; Israelites should be with other Israelites on this day.
2) Make an offering of fire--offerings are to be made at the Temple by Levites--no Levites+no Temple=no offering. Also, sin offerings were made moot by Yeshua.
3) Do no manner work--on other holidays and normal Sabbaths, the language is different. "No servile work" is the phrase used; most people take this to mean one's everyday job (work you're paid for), and household chores, like cleaning. The day of atonement is more serious; no work at all.
4) Make atonement--dedicate time to praying, reflecting, and figuring out how to improve.
5) Afflict yourself--there's a little argument on this, I think, but after a sermon some years ago, I take it to mean complete fasting during the 24 hour period. No food and no water.

   We celebrated (if that's the right word for it) the Day of Atonement last Friday, October 3rd. The holiday technically started the night before at 7:24. This year marked the third Day of Atonement I've celebrated, and the second I've celebrated with Sven. Last year, it fell on a weekend, so I didn't have any work schedule to work around. This year, I asked off of work ahead of time and also cleared up my schedule Thursday evening so we could properly prepare.
     Preparations differ between families and groups. Some believe that nothing extra should be done in advance; no extra eating, drinking, or cleaning. Sven and I fall on the other end of the spectrum. Thursday night, we sped through the house, cleaning up anything that would annoy or impede us the following day. Between cleaning, we drank copious amounts of water and cooked large portions of a very balanced and filling meal.

Shown: What we Consume on the Day of Atonement

     Our philosophy is this; no matter how much eating and drinking you do in preparation of the Day of Atonement, going without any food or water for 24 stinks. It stinks no matter what. The soul afflicting is just going to happen if you don't feed or hydrate yourself. However, there are levels of stinkage one can experience. We'd rather not be spending the whole day whining, "I'm so hungry. My mouth is so dry. Oh my gosh, etc etc" when we are supposed to be praying, atoning, and generally not be distracted by growling tummies. The other reason for it is this: going without water makes one lightheaded. Though we aren't running about, lifting heavy things, or elsewise working on that day, we do stand up and move around. Even with water gorging the night before, headrushes, dizziness, and general headachey-ness is a given. Last year, when I was living alone, towards the end of the day, I stood up from my bed to walk to my living room and collapsed in my hallway. It wasn't anything serious, but I was very lucky I fell onto a floor rather than onto some furniture. To sum up: We definitely suffer, and we don't want the holiday to be dangerous.

    Honestly, what makes the Atonement hard is the tricky nit-noi things. Teeth cannot brushed without water. Medicine is something you eat. So planning ahead is a must as far as getting what needs to be done completed before the sun goes down. If the preparations are completed properly, everything else goes smoothly.

     As far as this year is concerned, our day was rather relaxed. Our preparations the day before paid off. We slept in on Friday, did our atoning after waking, and spent the day quietly; reading the Bible, chatting, and watching appropriate Youtube videos. I wasn't really bothered much by the fasting aspect, though I was definitely ready for a glass of water when the sun went down on Friday. Sven was more bothered (probably because he's a bigger person?), but, all in all, we came out of the holiday feeling refreshed and clean, and that's really the whole point.

Expect a post (or posts) soon concerning Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles! It began last night at sundown, and though it hasn't been long, we've already tried some fun new recipes (feasting is a must during this holiday) and we have some exciting things planned for the week ahead. Happy fall feasts, everyone!