Yom Kippur next begins at sundown on Sunday, September 20, 2026. Here is what it means and how it is observed, drawn from classic Jewish sources.
When is Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur begins at sundown on the dates below (the Jewish day starts in the evening).
| Year | Yom Kippur begins (at sundown) |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, September 20, 2026 (next) |
| 2027 | Sunday, October 10, 2027 |
| 2028 | Friday, September 29, 2028 |
| 2029 | Tuesday, September 18, 2029 |
What is Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur (the 10th of Tishrei) is the holiest day of the Jewish year—a day of profound repentance, spiritual cleansing, and atonement for sins. It comes ten days after Rosh HaShanah (the Jewish New Year) and together they form the “Days of Awe” (Yamim ha-Noraim), a period calling for deep self-reflection and return to God .
The Meaning of Atonement
“Atonement” means achieving reconciliation with God through sincere repentance and confession. On Yom Kippur, Jews :
- Confess their sins through formal prayers like the Ashamnu (“We have incurred guilt”), which includes detailed confessions of sins likely committed during the year
- Fast from food and drink (and abstain from other physical pleasures)
- Pray intensively, seeking forgiveness from God and from those they’ve wronged
Biblical and Spiritual Roots
Yom Kippur is rooted in the Torah (Leviticus 16 and Numbers 29) and originally centered on the Temple’s atonement ritual . Once a year, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies—the holiest space in the Temple—to perform a special sacrifice for the atonement of the entire Jewish people.
Though the Temple no longer stands, the spiritual essence remains: prayer, confession, and sincere repentance replace the sacrificial ritual.
The Core Idea
Yom Kippur teaches that no sin is beyond repair if one genuinely repents. It’s a day when heaven and earth draw close, offering every Jew a fresh spiritual beginning.
How Yom Kippur is observed
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year—a day of complete atonement and spiritual cleansing. Here’s how it’s observed:
The Fast
We fast from shortly before sunset on Yom Kippur eve until nightfall the following day—approximately 25 hours. However, preparation begins the day before: it is a mitzvah to eat and drink abundantly on the eve of Yom Kippur. The Talmud teaches that one who eats and drinks on erev Yom Kippur in fulfillment of this mitzvah is credited as if he had also fasted.
The Five Prohibitions
On Yom Kippur itself, five activities are forbidden:
1. Eating and drinking
2. Washing (except fingertips for ritual purposes)
3. Anointing (perfumes, oils, lotions)
4. Wearing leather shoes
5. Sexual relations
These five are unique to Yom Kippur and distinguish it from other fasts.
The Prayers
The day features intensive prayer:
- Kol Nidrei (evening): The powerful annulment of vows before the community
- Maariv through Mussaf: Extended services with confessions (Vidui) and the Avodah (recounting the High Priest’s service in the Temple)
- Minchah: Afternoon prayers, culminating in the climactic moment when the cantor calls out “Shema Yisrael” and the congregation responds
- Neilah (closing prayer): The final, most intense service as the gates of heaven “close”
Before and After
One should seek forgiveness from anyone wronged before Yom Kippur, since the Day only atones for sins between us and God, not between people.
After Yom Kippur concludes, there is a custom to begin building the sukkah immediately, embodying the verse “they go from strength to strength.”
Sources
- Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 605
- Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 604
- Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 607
- Kitzur Shulchan Arukh 131
- Kitzur Shulchan Arukh 133
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