Yom Kippur: the Last Call to Repent Before a Big Trumpet Blast!

This is the most solemn day on the Jewish calendar: the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. Yom means “day” and Kippur comes from a root that means “to atone,” related to the covering of the Ark (the kapporet). This is because Yom Kippur is a day to “afflict the soul” according to Leviticus 23: 27.

Observance and Traditions in Israel

The Jewish people will be fasting until sunset, as Yom Kippur is a complete Sabbath; no work can be performed. Many secular Jewish and Israeli friends honor this day in some way, by abstaining from work, by fasting for 25 hours or attending synagogue services. Ideally, the fast is a complete fast, without food or water, but exceptions are made for the elderly, infirm and pregnant women. Today there is a stillness in the streets of Israel unlike any other nation experiences.

Term / Concept	Description and Significance
Yom Kippur	The Day of Atonement; the original “National Day of Prayer.”
Passover	A time focused on personal salvation.
The Fast	A 25-hour complete fast to humble oneself before God.
Yom Teruah	The “day of alarm/shouting,” also known as the Feast of Trumpets.

The Process of Repentance and Verdicts

The Jewish people believe that on this day God enters his verdict in books which are sealed. According to “Judaism 101,” today is essentially your last appeal, your last chance to change a verdict, to demonstrate your repentance and to make amends. It is interesting that the Jewish people believe that on this day only sins against God are dealt with, not sins against another person; the rabbis teach that reconciliation with other individuals must be done before Yom Kippur.

In the synagogues the cantors sing the Kol Nidrei (“All vows”), a fascinating disclaimer: “All personal vows we are likely to make, all personal oaths and pledges we are likely to take between this Yom Kippur and the next Yom Kippur, we publicly renounce.” The leader and the congregation then say together three times, “May all the people of Israel be forgiven, including all the strangers who live in their midst, for all the people are in fault.”

Judeo-Christian Significance

I describe myself as a Judeo-Christian, for without my Hebraic roots, Christianity cannot be explained or understood. Followers of Rabbi Jesus/Yeshua believe He died to make Atonement as God’s sacrificial Lamb upon the altar of the Cross at Passover. Every Yom Kippur I am especially grateful that the Lord made Atonement for me and I do not need to attempt to trust in my own insufficient righteousness. Born-again Christians are eternally grateful to our Jewish Saviour that because of the merit of his finished work on the Cross, our names are indeed inscribed and sealed in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

The Final Trumpet Blast

No other nation engages in a total fast annually, humbling themselves before God in deep national and individual repentance. As watchmen on the walls, we honor our Jewish brethren on Yom Kippur because we know they are seeking God fervently. Ten days ago, the shofar was sounded 100 times during a traditional Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah service. Now, as Yom Kippur ends this evening, there will be a long and loud shofar blast in synagogues to mark the end of the fast.