How Yom Kippur Works

By: Rav Reuven Taragin

Yom Kippur is a transformative day. It’s the one day a year when we are granted the opportunity to attain complete atonement and even purification (Vay. 16:30). While we achieve this partly through our teshuvah and tefillot, the fundamental aspect of the day is the obligation to fast and abstain from physical pleasure. The central question is: How do these practices facilitate atonement and purification?

The Torah’s initial reference to Yom Kippur observance is the mitzvah of inui, meaning “affliction” or “self-denial” (Vay. 16:29). In contrast to Shabbat and other Yamim Tovim, which the Torah introduces with prohibition of work, Yom Kippur is presented through the concept of inui.

A straightforward interpretation is that Yom Kippur is grounded in physical self-denial. We attain atonement and purification by enduring a fast and abstaining from pleasure. This discomfort serves as a means of acknowledging the harm our sins caused, and our suffering atones for sinful pleasures and cleanses us of their effects.

The Tefillah Zakah, the prayer written by the Chayei Adam, which is recited at the beginning of the Yom Kippur fast, expresses this understanding of the day. After accepting the fast upon ourselves, the tefillah asks Hashem to accept our upcoming suffering as atonement for our sins:

And through the inui of (abstention from) eating and drinking, atone us of our sins related to prohibited eating and drinking;

And through the inui of (abstention from) bathing and perfuming, atone us of how we sinned with the pleasures of this world;

And through the inui of (abstention from) wearing shoes, atone us of how we sinned with our legs rushing towards evil.

The Maharit (Shu”t 2, O.C. 8) similarly regarded this suffering as central to Yom Kippur. His explanation for the imperative to eat and drink on the eve of the fast reflects this view. According to the Maharit, this practice is intended to intensify the discomfort experienced during Yom Kippur. Consuming more food on Erev Yom Kippur acclimates the body to a higher intake, thereby making the subsequent fast more challenging.

However, the Tur (O.C. 604) offers a contrasting perspective. He asserts that eating on Erev Yom Kippuris intended to facilitate the fast and prevent undue hardship. The Chatam Sofer further clarifies that “the fast of Yom Kippur is not intended to cause the Jewish people pain and suffering, chas v’shalom.”

For this reason, many poskim permit the use of delayed-release pills, such as Fastaid Kosher Delayed Release Caffeine Capsules or “Easy Fast” tablets, which gradually release ingredients like caffeine, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or electrolytes over ten to twelve hours. The fast is not meant to inflict pain.

The Rambam similarly minimizes the emphasis on pain by characterizing Yom Kippur as a day of restraint rather than suffering. He illustrates this through the title he assigns to the section addressing Yom Kippur laws: Shevitat Asor (the cessations of the tenth). This designation highlights the cessation of regular activities rather than suffering.

The Rambam reinforces this perspective by beginning the laws with the prohibition against work on Yom Kippur and mentioning the requirement of inui only subsequently as an extension of that prohibition (S”H 1:1-4). Yom Kippur is inherently a day of cessation from physical activities, encompassing both work and pleasure. The Torah refers to it as “Shabbat Shabbaton” to emphasize this dual rest: on a regular Shabbat, we refrain only from work, but on Yom Kippur, we also abstain from physical pleasure.

This interpretation brings us back to the initial question: In what way does our observance of Yom Kippur enable atonement? How does abstaining from physical pleasures lead to purification?

Further insight can be found in another ruling of the Tur. His interpretation of the requirement to eat on Erev Yom Kippur is consistent with his broader perspective on Yom Kippur’s spiritual significance.

In Hilchot Yom Kippur, the Tur explains that during the recitation of Kriyas Shema on Yom Kippur, we recite the words Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto L’olam Va’ed aloud because on this day, we are likened to angels (O.C. 519). The Midrash (D”R 2:35), which serves as the Tur’s source, notes that these words constitute an angelic prayer and are therefore typically recited in a whisper. However, on Yom Kippur, we are considered “clean” like angels and may therefore recite them audibly.

Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezer (45) adds that abstaining from the five pleasures on Yom Kippur enables us to attain this angelic status. By refraining from typical human behaviors, Samael, the heavenly accuser, is compelled to acknowledge that the Jewish people resemble celestial angels. The Shulchan Aruch (510:4) further notes that this is the rationale for wearing white garments and a kittel on Yom Kippur, as our objective is to emulate the purity associated with angels.

The Chatam Sofer regards the emulation of angels not merely as an aspect of Yom Kippur but as its primary objective. The purpose of Yom Kippur is not to inflict pain or suffering, but to facilitate the attainment of an angelic level of holiness and closeness to Hashem. Abstaining from physical pleasures and pursuits enables us to transcend the material and achieve a heightened spiritual state.

Physical pursuits often lead to sin and distract us from spiritual pursuits. By abstaining from physical indulgences on Yom Kippur, we not only avoid sin but also strengthen our spiritual dimension. This separation from the physical both purifies us from its effects and articulates our aspiration for spirituality and our desire to lead angelic, pure lives.

We acknowledge that Hashem intends for us to live as human beings, contending with natural drives and emotions. However, we also recognize that physicality can lead to sin and divert our attention from spiritual matters. On Yom Kippur, we make a principled declaration: Our true essence is spiritual, and we commit to prioritizing it both on this sacred day and throughout the coming year. This aspiration grants us atonement, and our marked separation from physicality enables us to be purified from its negative influences.

The two interpretations of Yom Kippur are not mutually exclusive. Rather, they offer complementary views that enhance our appreciation of the day’s significance. Yom Kippur should be viewed as both a day of contrition and a day of spiritual liberation.

It is appropriate to experience remorse for our sins and to hope that the discomfort and physical weakening caused by the mitzvah of inui (self-denial) serve as atonement for past transgressions. However, Yom Kippur encompasses more than this: it is also a declaration of our values, identity, and guiding principles. Although we are not angels, we strive to emulate their purity for one day and aspire to integrate this ideal more fully in the year ahead.

May our deeper understanding of Yom Kippur’s objectives enable us to observe the day meaningfully and inspire us to incorporate its lessons throughout the coming year. 

Rav Reuven Taragin is the Dean of Overseas Students at Yeshivat Hakotel and the Educational Director of World Mizrachi. His new book, “Essentials of Judaism,” is available at rabbireuventaragin.com.