Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, takes place on the 10th day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. On this day, we ask forgiveness from God for our sins of the preceding year.

Yom Kippur is a fast day. Jewish law forbids eating, drinking, bathing and a list of other things from the beginning of sundown on the eve of Yom Kippur until the end of the following sundown (approximately 25 hours).

On the eve of Yom Kippur, a prayer called "Kol Nidrei" is chanted in synogogue. The purpose of this prayer is to proclaim that any "non-Jewish" words or acts from this Yom Kippur to the next are invalid, as in our hearts, we remain Jewish. The origins of this prayer are in the Spanish Inquisition of the 15th century, when Jews were forced to convert to Christianity, yet on Yom Kippur, they came together in secret and vowed their commitment to Judaism, despite their seemingly Christian lives.

At the close of Yom Kippur, the shofar (ram's horn) is blown. According to the Torah, the shofar is to be blown on Yom Kippur once every 50 years (the Jubilee Year) so that all servants will be returned to their families and all lands to their owners. The tradition of blowing the shofar yearly on Yom Kippur was born in the hope that it would call all of the Jewish People in the Diaspora back to their home in the Land of Israel.