How did atonement work?

Answer 1

Atonement is a process in which a person puts right any wrongs that they have committed. It's carried out by followers of many religions, such as Catholics who atone for their sins whenever they go to Confession and are given a task - saying a certain number of Hail Marys and Our Fathers - in repentance.

In Judaism, atonement is chiefly connected to Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement. Yom Kippur is the most solemn of all Jewish festivals and is marked by a 25 hour fast, observed by even many non-religious Jews (but not by those whose health may suffer as a result - the rabbis have taken great care to emphasise this).

It is said that, each year on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), God writes the names of all people in a book along with a list of anything wrong they have done and what their fate will be as a result. However, He doesn't seal their fate until ten days later, on Yom Kippur. So, for those ten days, Jews have the opportunity to put right those wrongs they have done. This might include paying for anything they should have - but did not pay for, apologising for slights and insults they may have made, and so on. If the wrongdoings were against other people, they are known as bein Adam lechavero, while those committed against o-d - such as eating non-kosher food, not praying as much as a good Jew ought and so on - they are known as bein Adam leMakom.

On the day of Yom Kippur itself, the atonement is completed in prayer by confessing to God what one has done. You need to be absolutely truthful and totally sincere in your efforts to atone, however - no religious Jew would ever try to get one over on God and trick him into thinking they mean it if they don't! If a Jew has confessed to all those acts he or she knows to be wrong and has carried out steps where possible to right them, then he or she will be able to consider themselves absolved with God and can enter into the New Year with a clean slate.