What Christians need to know about Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, begins this weekend, Joseph Steinberg explains what the celebration means for followers of Jesus

Yom Kippur - also known as the Biblical Day of Atonement - is the holiest and most sacred day of the Jewish Year. Jewish people fast and pray all day long, repenting of their sin and asking God for forgiveness. This is because they believe that on this day, in heaven, God opens The Book of Life. If their sins are forgiven, their name will be inscribed in the book, but if their sins have not been forgiven, their name will be blotted out.

Yom Kippur is observed on 10th Tishri –24 to 25 September 2023 – and it is the Sabbath of Sabbaths, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Jewish people devote themselves to fasting, repentance and confession of sins in an endeavour to obtain forgiveness and reconciliation with God. Yoma, literally translated as “the day”, is the climax of the Ten Days of Repentance, which begin at the start of Rosh Hashanah