Yom Kippur
Pronunciations
Definitions
n. The day of atonement on the 10th of Tishrei; the most important day on the Jewish calendar.
Example Sentences
"Yom Kippur is on Shabbat this year."
Listen to recordings of this sentence: ( Recording 1)
"I once heard that kreplach enables cheaper cuts and mince to be served in a bekovede way which was necessary in der alter heim when poverty-stricken Yidden wanted to serve meat on semi-Yomtovim like erev Yom Kippur, Hoshanah Rabbah and Purim." (source)
"If Yom Kippur comes in at 6:15, we'd better start the meal at 4:45." (Glinert)
Languages of Origin
- Textual Hebrew
Etymology
יוֹם כִּפּוּר 'lit. day of atonement'
- Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
- Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)
- North America
- Great Britain
- South Africa
- Australia / New Zealand
- The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
- The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
- The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
- Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).
- View More
Who Uses This
Regions
Dictionaries
Alternative Spellings
Yom Kipur, Yom Kipper
Notes
"Yom Kippur, a day of fasting and praying in synagogue, marks the culmination of the 10-day period of self-examination, repentance, and prayer (the Days of Awe) that begins with Rosh Hashanah.
Tradition says that Yom Kippur is the day on which God will seal the fate of every Jew. The Talmud explains that the Book of Life is opened for the righteous on Rosh Hashanah so that God can inscribe their names...
On Yom Kippur eve, families gather for a festive meal before the fast begins. They light yahrzeit candles in memory of their deceased loved ones as well as candles for the holiday. At sundown the next night, they assemble again to 'break the fast.' This lighter meal traditionally includes a fish platter with lox and bagels. Together, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called the High Holy Days or High Holidays." (JPS)
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