Yom Kippur

The formal Hebrew name of the holiday is , 'day [of] the atonements'. This name is used in the Bible, Mishnah, and Shulchan Aruch. The word 'atonements' is one of many Biblical Hebrew words. Beginning in the classical period, the singular form began to be used in piyyut, for example in Unetanneh Tokef, alongside the standard plural form . Use of spread in the medieval period, with () becoming the holiday's name in Yiddish and () in Ladino. In older English texts, the translation "Day of Atonement" is often used. == In the Torah ==

The Torah calls the day (), and a strict prohibition of work on the tenth day of the seventh month, later known as Tishrei. The laws of Yom Kippur are commanded by God to Moses in three passages in the Torah: • : Aaron may only enter the sanctuary by performing a complex sacrificial procedure, later known as the Yom Kippur Temple service. This service must be performed yearly on the date of Yom Kippur, while the people are to fast and not work on this date. • : The tenth day of Tishrei is a holy day of atonement. A Temple sacrifice must be offered, while the people must not work, "on the ninth day from evening until evening". • : The tenth day of Tishrei is a holy day; one must not work. The mussaf (additional) sacrifice for the day is specified. Yom Kippur is mentioned briefly in another context: on Yom Kippur of the Jubilee year the shofar was to be blown. According to some, this is the source for the current custom of blowing the shofar at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. Temple service When the Temple in Jerusalem stood, Yom Kippur was the occasion of an elaborate sacrificial service, as commanded by . The most prominent portion of the service was the lottery drawn on two goats with one being sacrificed as an offering and one being thrown off a cliff. This is the origin for the term scapegoat. The rabbis summarized the laws of this service in Mishnah tractate Yoma, and they appear in contemporary traditional Jewish prayer books for Yom Kippur, and are studied as part of a traditional Jewish Yom Kippur worship service. The Mussaf prayer on Yom Kippur includes a section known as the Avodah, where a poem is recited describing this Temple service. ==Significance==

High Holy Days Yom Kippur is one of the two High Holy Days, or Days of Awe (Hebrew ), alongside Rosh Hashanah (which falls nine days previously). According to Jewish tradition, on Rosh Hashanah God inscribes each person's fate for the coming year into the Book of Life, and waits until Yom Kippur to "seal" the verdict. This process is described dramatically in the poem Unetanneh Tokef, which is recited on Rosh Hashanah in the Ashkenazic and Italian rites and on Yom Kippur in the Eastern Ashkenazic and Italian rites: During the Days of Awe, a Jew reflects on the past year's actions and seeks forgiveness for wrongs done against both God and other people. Repentance ('''') , blessing his family on Yom Kippur eve Repentance in Judaism (Hebrew: ), traditionally, consists of regretting having committed the sin, resolving not to commit that sin in the future, and confessing that sin before God. While repentance for one's sins can and should be done at any time, it is considered especially desirable during the Ten Days of Repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and particularly on Yom Kippur itself. Thus, the Yom Kippur prayers contain extended confessions which list varieties of errors and sins, and to which one can add their own missteps, along with requests for forgiveness from God. According to the Talmud, "Yom Kippur atones for sins done against God (), but does not atone for sins done against other human beings () until the other person has been appeased." Therefore, it is considered imperative to repair the harm that one has done to others before or during Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is described in the prayers as "a day of creating love and brotherhood, a day of abandoning jealousy and strife". It is said that "if one does not remove hatred [from their heart] on Yom Kippur, their prayers are not heard". In recent generations other interpretations of Teshuvah have been presented. They argue that the traditional, self-punishing practice of dwelling on and weeping over past sins often leads to depression and is counterproductive in the modern era. Instead of "repentance" (focusing on guilt and remorse over mistakes), they interpret Teshuvah in a more literal sense: "return" to God. This involves proactively filling one's life with Torah, Mitzvot, joy, love, and sincere prayer to G-d. When an individual is wholeheartedly focused on growing closer to the Divine light, the regrettable behaviors of ones past are then naturally recognized as a useless weight holding them back. This recognition triggers a genuine, aching remorse that causes the sin to fall away enabling the person to let go and continue growing. Thus, Yom Kippur should be used to reach towards the light and embrace God's unconditional love, allowing the messy stuff to fall away naturally. Thirteen attributes According to the Bible, after the sin of the golden calf, Moses descended from Mount Sinai and broke the Tablets of Stone, which contained the Ten Commandments and symbolized the covenant with God. After God agreed to forgive the people's sin, Moses was told to return to Mount Sinai for a second 40-day period, in order to receive a second set of tablets. According to rabbinic tradition, the date Moses descended with the second set of tablets was Yom Kippur. On this day Moses announced to the people that they had been forgiven; as a result the Torah fixed this date as a permanent holiday of forgiveness. The new covenant, which God announced by proclaiming the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy to Moses, is textually similar to the covenant of the Ten Commandments except that God's nature is described as merciful and forgiving, rather than zealous. When the Jewish people sinned in later eras, prophets would repeatedly quote the Thirteen Attributes to God as a reminder of God's commitment to mercy and forgiveness. This is continued to the present day, as recitation of the Thirteen Attributes remains an important part of the Yom Kippur prayers (in Maariv and Neilah). Closeness to God While many of the observances of Yom Kippur (such as fasting and long prayers) can be difficult, there is also a tradition in which they are interpreted positively, as indications of closeness of God. Various sources compare the observances of Yom Kippur – fasting, barefootness (not wearing leather shoes), standing (in prayer), particular manners of prayer, even the peace that exists between Jews on this day – with the behavior of angels, suggesting that on Yom Kippur Jews become like angels in heaven, purified and close to God and not limited by physicality. and later to offer sacrifices of atonement. While the encounter with God and the atonement may appear to be unrelated, in fact they are mutually dependent. On one hand, the priest is only worthy to approach God when in a state of purity, with the sins of the people being forgiven. On the other hand, only by approaching God with an intimate, personal request can God be persuaded to abandon justice for mercy, permitting the purification to take place. According to the Torah, the Yom Kippur Temple service was commanded in wake of the deaths of Nadab and Abihu on the eighth day of the Tabernacle inauguration. Not only was this eighth day the occasion of the Yom Kippur command, but the eighth day was also similar in its nature to Yom Kippur, both in biblical texts (e.g. the sacrifices offered on each day) and in rabbinic interpretation. The purpose of the eighth day was the revelation of God's presence to the people; A midrash compares the Yom Kippur prayers to a verse from the Song of Songs, describing a woman who rises from bed at night to begin a romantic encounter with her lover. With each Yom Kippur prayer, it is implied, Jews approach closer to God: Using a similar metaphor, the Mishnah describes Yom Kippur as a wedding date, as on this date Moses returned having reestablished the covenant between God and Israel. According to Hassidic thought Yom Kippur is related to the deepest level of the human soul. The soul is described as having five different levels, the fifth and most essential of which is called Yechidah, meaning "one and unique". This yechidah is the soul in its state of complete fusion and oneness with its Creator, forming an inseparable whole. Yom Kippur is the day when this essential bond of yechidah shines within the time and space of our world. It is the one time a year when the Divine unites with the essential oneness of the soul within each person, and in that moment of ultimate connection, all else falls away. Purification In , the Torah summarizes the purpose of Yom Kippur as follows: There are two forms of impurity in Judaism (see Tumah and taharah): ritual impurity (e.g. when one touches a corpse) and moral impurity (when one commits a serious sin). While the Yom Kippur Temple service did purify the Temple if it had become ritually impure, the emphasis of the day is on the Jewish people's purification from moral impurity. Thus, on this day Jews do their utmost to repent. But if, by the end of the day, they have reached the limits of their ability and are still morally flawed, God extends them forgiveness and purification anyway. states that "Israel's hope () is in God". According to Rabbi Akiva, this verse alludes to a ritual purification bath (also pronounced mikveh), and thus on Yom Kippur God metaphorically becomes a mikveh in which Israel immerses and purifies itself. This idea is symbolized by immersion in an actual mikveh. In the Yom Kippur Temple service, the High Priest would immerse upon putting on and taking off his white Yom Kippur garments; the rabbis counted no fewer than five immersions over the course of the day's service. Among modern-day Jews, too, there is a custom of immersion before Yom Kippur (though not on Yom Kippur itself, as bathing is forbidden in normal circumstances). When the scapegoat was selected on Yom Kippur to symbolically carry the people's sins to the desert, a crimson cord was tied around its horns. While the practical purpose of this cord was to distinguish the scapegoat from the goat which was to be slaughtered, it also symbolized the sin which the scapegoat was carrying away. promises that if the Jewish people repents, "if [their] sins are like crimson, they shall become white as snow." According to tradition, in some years the scapegoat's cord would miraculously turn white to indicate that the people's sins were forgiven and purification achieved in that year. Jewish unity Yom Kippur is considered a day of Jewish unity. In Kol Nidre, in which vows are released, vows of excommunication against sinning Jews were similarly lifted and these "transgressors" were allowed to pray alongside other Jews. According to the Talmud, "Any fast in which Jewish sinners do not also participate is not a valid fast". Similarly, the Mishnah describes Yom Kippur as a day on which men and women would once meet each other in the vineyards in order to arrange marriages. While this story is surprising given the generally somber nature of the day, it is based on the Biblical episode where the oath against marrying Benjaminites was circumvented by allowing them to take women from the vineyards as wives, and thus indicates the day's theme of abandoning grudges in order for the Jewish people to be reunited. == Customs ==

Erev Yom Kippur On the day preceding Yom Kippur, known as (lit. 'eve [of] day [of] atonement'), a number of activities are customarily performed in preparation for Yom Kippur. These activities generally relate to the themes of the holiday, but are forbidden or impractical to do on Yom Kippur itself. According to the Talmud, "Yom Kippur does not atone for sins between a person and his fellow until he has appeased his fellow." Thus, it is common practice on Erev Yom Kippur to request forgiveness from other individuals for misdeeds one has done to them. The Talmud records no less than 14 stories attesting to the importance of the day for repairing relationships with one's spouses, parents, children, coworkers, the poor, and other individuals. The day before a major Jewish holiday is often devoted towards preparing for that holiday (as with burning chametz before Passover or obtaining the Four Species before Sukkot); for Yom Kippur, the appropriate preparation is to seek forgiveness from one's fellow man. • Eating well before the fast will make it easier to complete the fast in good health. • Eating before the fast will actually make the fast subjectively more difficult, due to "withdrawal" from the previous day's feast, and thus increase a person's level of "affliction" on this day (though it is not agreed that a person should in fact attempt to increase their affliction beyond the basic requirements). • In general, Jewish holidays are celebrated with festive meals. Since a meal celebrating Yom Kippur cannot be held on the day itself, it is held beforehand. • One celebrates the forgiveness they are about to receive for their sins, thus demonstrating that they are in fact bothered by their sins, and thus are more deserving of forgiveness. Kreplach are traditionally served at the pre-fast meal. Also, it is common to ask for and receive lekach on Erev Yom Kippur. Many Orthodox men immerse themselves in a mikveh on this day. Opinions differ on whether this is a technical act to remove ritual impurity, or else a symbolic one to symbolize one's cleansing from sin on Yom Kippur. The kapparot ritual, in which either money or a chicken is given to charity, is performed by some on Erev Yom Kippur as a means to enhance atonement. Prior to this day's morning prayer service (Shacharit), selichot prayers are recited, as they have been for the entire High Holiday period. In the afternoon prayer (Mincha), the long confession is recited, just as it is on Yom Kippur itself. This confession is recited before the last Erev Yom Kippur meal (the "Separation Meal" – Hebrew ''se'udah hamafseket or aruha hamafseket''), in case one becomes intoxicated at this meal and is unable to confess properly afterwards, or else because a person might choke to death at that meal and die without confessing (seemingly an unlikely possibility, but one which reminds a person of their mortality). Fasting and asceticism The Torah commands Jews to "afflict themselves" () on Yom Kippur. While these verses do not explicitly mention the form of affliction, the phrase "afflicting oneself" frequently appears elsewhere in connection with fasting or lack of food, and public fast days for repentance were a common practice in Biblical times. According to the Jewish oral tradition, the Yom Kippur "affliction" consists of the following five prohibitions: • Fasting (no eating and drinking) • No wearing of leather shoes • No bathing or washing • No anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions • No marital relations. In traditional custom, the fast is required of males over age 13 and females over age 12. However, fasting is waived in the case of dangerous medical conditions (pikuach nefesh), and in such a case one is actually required to break the fast. Just as it is a mitzvah to fast on Yom Kippur, it may also be a mitzvah to eat or drink on Yom Kippur to safeguard a person's health. In such situations, though, it is preferable (if the medical situation allows for it) to consume only small amounts of food or drink at a time. Fasting, along with the other restrictions, begins at sundown, and ends after nightfall the following day. One should add a few minutes to the beginning and end of the day, called , lit. 'addition to Yom Kippur'. Yom Kippur is one of the only occasions when fasting is permitted on Shabbat. Symbolism A number of different interpretations of these restrictions have been suggested. In one approach, fasting replaces animal sacrifices. Fasting causes one's fat and blood to be diminished, just as the fat and blood of a sacrifice were burned on the altar. Thus, the fast is a form of sacrifice which can atone for sin like the Temple sacrifices once did. Other approaches suggest that the prohibitions represent not suffering, but rather special holiness. For example, on Yom Kippur, Jews are said to become like angels. Just as angels do not need to eat, drink, or wear shoes, so too Jews do not engage on these activities on Yom Kippur. By detaching themselves from physical needs, Jews become purified and resemble angels. Similarly, the prohibitions allude to the experience of Moses on Mount Sinai, who did not eat or drink while receiving the Torah and while receiving forgiveness for the people's sins.); thus on Yom Kippur Jews do not wear (leather) shoes. While in Eden food and drink were easily obtained, but after the expulsion man must work for food "by the sweat of [his] brow"; thus food and drink are refrained from on Yom Kippur, as well as washing, and the use of cosmetics to remove sweat or its odor. In Eden death was unknown and procreation unnecessary; similarly on Yom Kippur marital relations are avoided. According to Maimonides, the purpose of fasting (and the restriction on work) is to remove distractions from the task of repentance. By refraining from these activities, the body is uncomfortable but can still survive. The soul is considered to be the life force in a body. Therefore, by making one's body uncomfortable, one's soul is uncomfortable. By feeling pain, one can feel how others feel when they are in pain. Prohibition on work The Torah calls Yom Kippur a day of rest () on which work is prohibited. Thus, the activities forbidden on Shabbat are also forbidden on Yom Kippur: the 39 categories of work as well as the rabbinic Shabbat prohibitions. Other observances Wearing white clothing is traditional to symbolize one's purity on this day. Various reasons have been suggested for this custom: • On Yom Kippur, Jews are similar to the angels in heaven who are said to wear white. • To allude to the verse "If your sins are like crimson, they shall become white as snow" () • To recall the High Priest who wore white for the Yom Kippur Temple service (and on no other occasion) Yom Kippur is honored in the same ways as Shabbat and other holidays, to the extent permitted. Thus, the house is cleaned ahead of time, and the table covered with a nice tablecloth, even though it will not be used for eating. The synagogue is cleaned ahead of time, and all the lights left on. One bathes before Yom Kippur, and clean clothes are worn. Smelling pleasant smells is allowed on Yom Kippur, therefore many make a point of smelling pleasant spices throughout the day. It is traditional for parents to give their children a special blessing before beginning the Yom Kippur prayers. Those whose parents have died light a yahrzeit candle in their memory before Yom Kippur begins. Breaking of the fast Following the fast, Sephardic Jewish communities traditionally serve a drink made from melon seeds similar to the Turkish sübye. Turkish Jews refer to it as subiye, while Greek Jews call it pepitada. This is followed by coffee with milk and biscochos (savory ring-shaped cookies), pieces of bread dipped in olive oil and ''za'atar'' alongside tomato, and later, chicken cooked with dry quinces or plums. == Prayer services ==

"'', opening the Yom Kippur prayers, recorded in the early 1950s The Yom Kippur prayer service includes several unique aspects. One is the number of prayer services. Unlike a regular day which has three prayer services (Shacharit, Mincha, and Maariv), or a Shabbat or Yom Tov which has four prayer services (those three, plus Mussaf), Yom Kippur has five prayer services (those four, plus ''Ne'ila, the closing prayer). The prayer services also include private and public confessions of sins (Vidui), The Yom Kippur prayer services include additional poems (piyyutim) and petitions for forgiveness (selichot''). Notable poems recited include Avinu Malkeinu, Unetanneh Tokef (in Eastern Ashkenazic and Italian communities), Ki Anu Amecha (in Ashkenazic communities, although the order of the verses varies between communities), the Ten Martyrs (in Eastern Ashkenazic and some Western Ashkenazic communities), HaAderet v'HaEmunah, and Mareh Kohen (both in Ashkenazic communities). If Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat, Avinu Malkeinu is recited by Ashkenazic only during the Ne'ila prayer service, whereas the Sephardic and Italian rite recite it as normal at Shacharit and Mincha. Many married Ashkenazi Orthodox men wear a kittel, a white robe-like garment for evening prayers on Yom Kippur, also used in Eastern European communities by men on their wedding day. They also wear a tallit (prayer shawl), which is typically worn only during morning services. Order of prayers Before the beginning of Yom Kippur, many Jews recite the optional ('the pure prayer'), in which (among other topics) one declares that they forgive anyone who has harmed them in the past, "except for damages which can be recovered in court, and except for those who say: I will harm him and he will forgive me", asks God not to punish anyone who has been so forgiven, and asks God to show similar graciousness in forgiving their own sins. Like all Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur begins in the evening, and the evening prayer () is preceded by the special Kol Nidre (described below) prayer. The next morning, the morning prayer () is recited. The Torah reading is from , describing the Yom Kippur Temple service and the laws of the day. The Yom Kippur Torah reading is divided into six portions, and seven on the Sabbath. The Haftarah is from , according to which God will ignore the prayers of one who fasts while continuing to perform evil deeds. In most communities, Yizkor is then recited. Next is the added prayer () as on all other holidays. The highlight of this prayer is the Avodah recitation, where the prayer leader recounts the Yom Kippur Temple service by which the High Priest would once obtain atonement from God in the Temple in Jerusalem. Other notable additions to Yom Kippur Mussaf in the Eastern Ashkenazic rite include the Unetanneh Tokef and Ten Martyrs poems. While the original custom was for the Yom Kippur prayer service to take the entire day with no break, in recent years some have instituted a short break after Mussaf before the next prayers, which last until the conclusion of the fast. Next is the afternoon prayer () and a Torah reading. The Haftarah that follows is the entire Book of Jonah, which has as its theme the story of God's willingness to forgive those who repent. The service concludes with the ''Ne'ila'' ("closing") prayer, which begins shortly before sunset, when the "gates of prayer" will be closed. After Ne'ila, Yom Kippur comes to an end with a recitation of Shema Yisrael and the blowing of the shofar, Finally, the brief weekday Maariv prayer is recited, before the recitation of Havdalah. Kol Nidre Before sunset on Yom Kippur eve, worshipers gather in the synagogue. The cantor stands with two community members at his sides, and chants the Kol Nidre prayer (Aramaic: כל נדרי, English translation: 'All vows'). It is recited in a dramatic manner, before the open ark, with an Ashkenazic melody that dates back to the 16th century. Kol Nidre is recited in Aramaic, except in the Italian and Romaniote rites where it is recited in Hebrew. 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 (in some versions: which we took between last Yom Kippur and this Yom Kippur), we publicly renounce. Let them all be relinquished and abandoned, null and void, neither firm nor established. Let our personal vows, pledges and oaths be considered neither vows nor pledges nor oaths. Then the service continues with the evening prayers () and an extended Selichot service. This traditional prominence is rooted in the Babylonian Talmud's description of how to attain atonement following the destruction of the Temple in tractate Yoma. The recitation poetically describes the High Priest's confessions of his and the people's sins, his entry into the Holy of Holies, his sending away of the scapegoat, and all other parts of this day's complex Temple service. A variety of liturgical poems are added, including a poem recounting the radiance of the High Priest after exiting the Holy of Holies, as well as prayers for the speedy rebuilding of the Temple and the restoration of sacrificial worship. In most Orthodox and some Conservative synagogues, the entire congregation prostrates themselves at each point in the recitation where the High Priest would pronounce God's holiest name (during recitation of ). These three times, plus in some congregations the Aleinu prayer during the Musaf Amidah on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, are the only times in Jewish services when Jews engage in prostration (except for some Yemenite Jews and ('disciples of Maimonides') who may prostrate themselves on other occasions during the year). Orthodox liturgies include prayers lamenting the inability to perform the Temple service and petitioning for its restoration, which Conservative synagogues generally omit. In some Conservative synagogues, only the Hazzan (cantor) engages in full prostration. Some Conservative synagogues abridge the recitation of the Avodah service to varying degrees, and some omit it entirely. Reconstructionist services omit the entire service as inconsistent with modern sensibilities. Confession As confession is a core aspect of repentance, confession (or ) is a major part of the Yom Kippur prayer services. A confession is recited ten times on Yom Kippur, twice in each of the five standard prayers. In each prayer service, the confession is recited once by the individual in their silent prayer, and again communally during the cantor's repetition of the Amidah. (The prayer has no repetition, so the second confession is instead recited in the communal Selichot recitation which follows the silent prayer.) Confession is recited an 11th time by individuals in the Mincha prayer of Yom Kippur eve, before the beginning of the holiday, and in some communities this is repeated by the Chazzan. The Yom Kippur confession text consists of two parts: a short confession beginning with the word (, 'we have sinned'), which is a series of words describing sin arranged according to the (Hebrew alphabetic order), and a long confession, beginning with the words (, 'for the sin'), which is a set of 22 acrostics, in some communities double acrostics, also arranged according to the , enumerating a range of sins. Al Cheyt is omitted in both recitations of the confession in Neilah. In Reform Judaism Reform synagogues generally experience their largest attendance of the year on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah for worship services. The prayer philosophy of Reform, as described in the introduction of the movement's High Holy Day prayerbook, Mishkan HaNefesh, is to reflect "varied theological approaches that enable a diverse congregation to share religious experience... with a commitment to Reform tradition, as well as [to] the larger Jewish tradition." A central feature of these Reform services is the rabbinic sermon. "For more than a century and a half in the Reform Movement," writes Rabbi Lance Sussman, "High Holiday sermons were among the most anticipated events in synagogue life, especially on the eve of Rosh Hashanah and Kol Nidre night." == Observance ==

As one of the most culturally significant Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur is observed by many secular Jews who may not observe other holidays. Many secular Jews attend synagogue on Yom Kippur – for many secular Jews the High Holy Days are the only times of the year during which they attend synagogue – causing synagogue attendance to soar. Observance in Israel in Tel Aviv, empty of cars on Yom Kippur 2004 Yom Kippur is a legal holiday in Israel. There are no radio or television broadcasts, airports are shut down, there is no public transportation, and all shops and businesses are closed. In 2019, 60.5% of the Jewish people of Israel said that they were intending to fast on Yom Kippur. It is very common in Israel to wish Tsom Kal ([an] easy fast) or ([a] benefiting fast) to everyone before Yom Kippur, even if one does not know whether they will fast or not. It is considered impolite to eat in public on Yom Kippur or to play music or to drive a motor vehicle. There is no legal prohibition on any of these, but in practice such actions are almost universally avoided in Israel during Yom Kippur, except for emergency services. Over the last few decades, bicycle-riding and inline skating on the empty streets have become common among secular Israeli youths, especially on the eve of Yom Kippur in Tel Aviv. In 1973, an air raid siren was sounded on the afternoon of Yom Kippur and radio broadcasts were resumed to alert the public to the surprise attack on Israel by Egypt and Syria that launched the Yom Kippur War. Observance by athletes Since the early 20th century, numerous Jewish athletes have opted not to participate in their sport on Yom Kippur if a sporting event coincides with the High Holy Day. Such incidents throw into sharp highlight the conflict many Jewish people face between social pressures and personal beliefs on a daily basis. Athletes observing Yom Kippur are often lauded for their decision not to play, which is also seen as a source of pride by many in the Jewish community. The most famous example of this phenomenon is Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, who refused to play on Yom Kippur when it clashed with Game 1 of the 1965 World Series which Koufax, as the team's best pitcher, was slated to start. Koufax garnered national attention for his decision, which was seen as an example of the conflict between social pressures and personal beliefs. Similarly, another Baseball Hall of Famer, first baseman Hank Greenberg, garnered national attention in 1934 when he refused to play on Yom Kippur, even though his Detroit Tigers were in the middle of a pennant race and Greenberg himself was leading the league in runs batted in. When Greenberg arrived in synagogue on Yom Kippur, the service stopped suddenly, and the congregation gave an embarrassed Greenberg a standing ovation. The examples of Greenberg and Koufax have been followed by numerous athletes, including fellow baseball players Shawn Green, Kevin Youkilis, Brad Ausmus, and Art Shamsky. Outside of baseball, notable players to sit out Yom Kippur include: football player Gabe Carimi, golfer Laetitia Beck, chess player Boris Gelfand, and professional wrestler Bill Goldberg. Recognition by the United Nations Since 2016 the United Nations has officially recognized Yom Kippur, stating that from then on no official meetings would take place on the day. In addition, the United Nations stated that, beginning in 2016, they would have nine official holidays and seven floating holidays of which each employee would be able to choose one. It stated that the floating holidays will be Yom Kippur, Day of Vesak, Diwali, Gurpurab, Orthodox Christmas, Orthodox Good Friday, and Presidents' Day. This was the first time the United Nations officially recognized any Jewish holiday. == Date of Yom Kippur ==

Yom Kippur falls each year on the tenth day of the Jewish month of Tishrei, which is nine days after the first day of Rosh Hashanah. In terms of the Gregorian calendar, the earliest date on which Yom Kippur can fall is 14 September, as happened most recently in 1899 and 2013. The latest Yom Kippur can occur relative to the Gregorian dates is on 14 October, as happened in 1967 and will happen again in 2043. After 2089, the differences between the Hebrew calendar and the Gregorian calendar will result in Yom Kippur falling no earlier than 15 September. Gregorian calendar dates for recent and upcoming Yom Kippur holidays are: • • • • • ==See also==