What is Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement)?

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, falls on the tenth day of the seventh month (Leviticus 23:26-32). It is the holiest day on HaShem's calendar: a complete sabbath rest, a day on which the people are commanded to afflict your souls, understood as fasting and humbling oneself before HaShem. Leviticus 16 lays out the ancient ceremony. Once a year, and only on this day, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber where HaShem's presence dwelt, carrying blood to make atonement for the whole nation. It was the day the sin of Israel was covered and the people were set right before God.

The meaning is national atonement and deep humility. Yom Kippur is not a cheerful festival; it is the day a whole people bow low together, acknowledging they cannot cleanse themselves, and look to HaShem to cover what they could never cover on their own. It teaches that atonement is something received, not achieved.

And here the Messianic fulfillment is the very architecture of the book of Hebrews. Yeshua (Jesus) is our great High Priest who entered, once for all, into the true Holy of Holies, not by the blood of goats and calves but by His own blood, securing an eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11-12). Because of Him we now have confidence to enter the holy places, so let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:19-22). The one day a year when one man went behind the veil for everyone is fulfilled in the One who went behind it forever.

If you were told this was merely a Jewish fast, see what HaShem calls it: His appointed time, His holiest day. Keeping it does not earn your forgiveness; it humbles you before the One who gives it.

How do you keep it, starting out? Fast for the day if you are able, and rest, as the text commands. Set the hours aside for repentance and prayer, a sustained, honest turning to HaShem. Do not approach it as a transaction that buys pardon; approach it as a day to humble yourself before the High Priest who already secured it. Be Berean: read Leviticus 16 alongside Hebrews 9:11-12 and 10:19-22, and watch the veil that once shut everyone out be torn open by Yeshua.