Yom Kippur (Leviticus ch.23) is the Jewish day of repentance, considered to be the holiest and most solemn day of the year. Its central theme is atonement and reconciliation. Eating, drinking, washing, cosmetics, wearing leather shoes, and conjugal relations are prohibited (Mishnah, Yoma 8:1). Fasting - total abstention from all food and drink - usually begins a half an hour before sundown (called "tosefet Yom Kippur," the "addition" of fasting a bit of the previous day is required by Jewish law), and ends during the following twilight.

A recurrent motif in the Yom Kippur liturgy is that of confession (vidui). The idea is that without soul-searching and verbal articulation of one's misdeeds, there can be no real personal improvement. An important feature of Yom Kippur is the belief that true repentance (regret for past misdeeds and a commitment to future improvement) is followed by God's forgiveness. Of course, in cases when another person has been harmed that person's forgiveness needs to be obtained first.

Contrary to popular belief, Yom Kippur is not a sad day.

Sephardic Jews (Jews of Spanish, Portuguese and North African descent) refer to this holiday as "the White Fast." Consequently, many Jews have the custom of wearing only white clothing on this day, to symbolize the "white": striving towards purity from sin, akin to angels.

Yom Kippur is considered the most holy of Jewish holidays and its observance is held even among the majority of secular Jews who may not strictly observe other holidays. Many secular Jews will fast and attend synagogue on Yom Kippur, and attendance on Yom Kippur can be double or triple the normal number of worshipers. In Israel, public non-observance (such as eating or driving a motor vehicle) is virtually unheard of. Yom Kippur there has the nickname "Festival of Bicycles," referring to children's practice of freely riding their bicycles in the streets without motor vehicles presenting danger. In Israel on Yom Kippur there is no broadcast television, no public transportation and the airports are closed. There is no commerce of any kind in the Jewish areas.

Only Jewish courts are closed on Yom Kippur.

During Yom Kippur, adult Jews fast for 25 hours, this fast means no food or water. We refrain from all work and spend the day in synagogue atoning for our mistakes of the previous year and asking HaShem to seal us in the book of good for the upcoming year. Once Yom Kippur ends, we break our fast with family and friends.

September 26, 1974.

Just for the sake of clarity, the Yom Kippur War started on October 6, 1973. The date mentioned above was a peaceful Yom Kippur.

The Day of Attonement.

No. Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the

"10 Days of Awe". It's a period of reflection.

In Israel, Egypt, and Syria. Egypt and Syria attacked Israel by surprise; at the beginning of the war, when Israel was losing, the Syrians had pushed through most of the Golan Heights* (destroying nearly every civilian structure they came across and menacing the most populated part of Israel, which is right below the Golan), while the Egyptians had overwhelmed Israeli defenses along the Suez Canal and entered the Sinai Peninsula**. (It should be noted that while the Golan is still Israeli territory, the Sinai has now been returned to Egypt.) By the end of the war, however, when Israel (with indirect US aid) had turned the tide, Israeli forces had entered Syria and menaced Damascus, while crossing the Suez, cutting off most of the Egyptian army, and approaching Cairo. The war ended when the USSR, an Egyptian ally, threatened to use nuclear weapons on Israel. Even though Israel at the time had just begun its own nuclear program, it did not want to disclose that fact, and probably didn't have the delivery systems to adequately deter the USSR anyway.

*Territory in Northwestern Israel captured from Syria in 1967.

**A large swath of biblically-mentioned desert captured from Egypt in 1967.

It was a war that started with a surprise attack against Israel from its Arab neighbors including Egypt and Syria. The US intervened to supply arms to Israel and soviet Russia supplied arms to the Arabs.

Yom Kippur is a Jewish holiday known as the day of atonement. It's not a national holiday in America, but Jewish owned businesses, schools and organizations will most likely be closed on the day.

Nothing wrong with that, but it isn't customary. You could say, "May you be sealed in the book of life," or "Have an easy fast."

I think it is nicest to say "Have a meaningful fast".

Lent is a Christian spring time holiday. Yom Kippur is a Jewish fall holiday. There is absolutely no link whatsoever between the two holidays.

It depends on the Jew. Some say that the Yom Kippur prohibition of leather applies only to the wearing of shoes with leather soles, whereas others say it's leather shoes. Many Jews will avoid wearing leather at all during Yom Kippur, but it depends on that person's favoured interpretation.

Orthodox Jewish Answer:

According to the Talmud and the Code of Jewish Law, leather shoes are forbidden to be worn on Yom Kippur; whereas leather belts, wristwatch-bands etc., are completely permissible.

Yom Kippur is a fast day. This means no food or water for 25 hours.

White is symbolic of purity and angels. Since our sins between man and God are forgiven on Yom Kippur (with sincere repentance), we symbolically wear white.

Ramadan and thanksgiving all thank something. Ramadan is a month celebrated by all Muslims with friends and family to give thanks to god (Allah) for their good fortune and health. Thanksgiving is a day spent with friends and family to commemorate the meal shared with the piligrims by the native Americans.

Yom Kippur, or the day of atonement is a Jewish feast that is celebrated with a 25 hour fast. It takes place on the tenth day of the seventh month, per Leviticus 16:29. In 2014, it falls on October 3rd through the 4th.

According to Chanad.org's very useful calculator, at 17.29.

It is celebrated in a synagogue and people pray for God's forgiveness for the mistakes they made in the previous year. Additionally, Yom Kippur is a biblical fast day, this means that Jews fast for 25 hours with no food or water.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are days of awe, judgment, prayers and introspection at the beginning of the Jewish year. Celebrating them reminds us that every year of life is a gift from God. These days increase our awareness of God's presence, remind us of our being responsible for how we use our free-will, and teach us to always be optimistic and happy (because Rosh Hashanah is celebrated with festive meals and the gravitas and judgment are not allowed to precipitate sadness).

Yes you do light candles and say two blessings. These blessings are:

1. Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech haolam asher kidhashanu bemitzvotav vitzivanuh lehad leek ner Shel (insert Shabbat veshel if it is on Shabbat) Yom Kippurim.

2. Baruch Atah Adonai eloheinu melech haolam, vehichejanu, veki-jemanu, laz man hazeh.

I hope that helps. It is hard for me to write the pronunciation in English but I tried.

Observant Jews do not eat anything during Yom Kippur. A strict fast is maintained between 30 minutes prior to sundown (Yom Kippur, like all Jewish festivals, begins at sundown as does each new day) to after nightfall the following day. More Jews observe the Yom Kippur fast that almost any other Jewish commandment, but under Jewish law it can be waived for children and anyone who might suffer medical complications as a result.