The story
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, falls on the 10th of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, in late September or early October, and is the holiest day of the Jewish year. It closes the Ten Days of Repentance that begin with Rosh Hashanah. The Torah commands Jews to "afflict themselves" on this day, and tradition understands that to mean a full fast from sunset to after nightfall the next day, together with abstaining from washing, leather shoes, perfumes and marital relations. Much of the day is spent in synagogue in long prayers of confession. Fasting is waived, and eating is even required, when someone's health is at risk.
In Temple times the high priest performed an elaborate service of atonement on this day, including the ritual of two goats, one of which was sent into the wilderness, the origin of the word scapegoat. After the Temple's destruction the rabbis preserved its memory in the Mishnah and the prayer book, and the day's focus became repentance, or teshuva: regretting a wrong, resolving not to repeat it and confessing it.
But the tradition draws a firm line. According to the Talmud, Yom Kippur atones for sins against God, but not for wrongs done to other people until the person who was hurt has been appeased. The Talmud records at least 14 stories about the day's importance for repairing relationships with spouses, parents, children, coworkers, the poor and others. Prayer alone is not enough; the person who did the harm must take the first step to put it right.
So on the day before Yom Kippur it is customary to go to people one has wronged and ask their forgiveness. Just as other festivals have their practical preparations, such as clearing leavened bread before Passover, the proper way to prepare for the holiest day is to seek forgiveness from one's fellow human beings. Even here there is care for the other person: one should not ask forgiveness in a way that causes new hurt, for example by revealing an insult the victim never knew about.
Yom Kippur is also a day of unity. In the Kol Nidre service that opens it, even those who had been excluded were traditionally welcomed to pray with the community. In Israel the country comes to a near halt: there are no broadcasts, airports and public transport close, and young people ride bicycles through the empty streets.
Why it matters
Yom Kippur's insistence that people must repair the harm they cause, not just pray about it, offers a powerful model of accountability and reconciliation for everyone.
Sources
- Yom Kippur Wikipedia
Another act of tikkun olam. This is part of tikkun olam, the Jewish idea of repairing the world, and every one of us can add to it.