Yom Kippur is Judaism’s holiest day, offering an opportunity to pause, reflect, seek forgiveness, and begin again. Discover the meaning and traditions of Yom Kippur and how families can experience this sacred day together.
There is a moment each year in the Jewish calendar when the pace of life changes completely.
The celebrations of Rosh Hashanah have passed. The sounds of the shofar have faded. The Jewish New Year has begun, and now comes an invitation to turn inward.
Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the Jewish year. It is a day dedicated to reflection, repentance, forgiveness, and renewal—a chance to consider the year behind us and think intentionally about the person we want to be in the year ahead.
In 2026, Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Sunday, September 20, and concludes at nightfall on Monday, September 21, corresponding to 10 Tishrei 5787.
For families throughout Aventura, North Miami Beach, and the surrounding communities, Yom Kippur is an opportunity to step away from the ordinary rhythm of life and gather in reflection with family and community.
What Is Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur literally means the Day of Atonement. It comes ten days after Rosh Hashanah and marks the culmination of the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, or Ten Days of Repentance.
While Rosh Hashanah invites us to look at the year ahead, Yom Kippur asks us to look honestly at the year we’ve just lived.
Where did we do well?
Where did we fall short?
Who may we have hurt?
What relationships need repair?
What do we want to change?
The Hebrew concept of teshuvah is central to this process. Often translated as “repentance,” teshuvah can also be understood as “return”—a return to our values, to our relationships, and to the person we aspire to be.
If you’re just beginning to explore the High Holidays, our 2026 Family Guide to the Jewish High Holy Days provides an overview of the entire season, from Rosh Hashanah through Simchat Torah.
When Is Yom Kippur in 2026?
Yom Kippur follows the Jewish calendar, so its Gregorian date changes from year to year.
For 5787 / 2026, the dates are:
Yom Kippur begins: Sunday, September 20 at sundown
Yom Kippur: Monday, September 21
Yom Kippur ends: Monday, September 21 at nightfall
Hebrew date: 10 Tishrei 5787
As with other Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur begins at sundown on the evening before the Gregorian calendar date and concludes after nightfall the following evening.
Why Do Jewish People Fast on Yom Kippur?
One of the best-known traditions associated with Yom Kippur is fasting.
Traditionally, Yom Kippur includes a 25-hour fast, during which observant adults abstain from food and drink. The fast is intended to remove ordinary physical distractions and create space for prayer, reflection, and spiritual focus.
But fasting isn’t simply about going without food.
It can be understood as a physical expression of the day’s larger purpose: stepping away from everyday comforts and routines so we can pay closer attention to our inner lives and our relationships with others.
Fasting is not appropriate or required for everyone. Jewish tradition recognizes exceptions, particularly for people whose health could be affected, as well as young children and others who should not fast. Families should approach fasting thoughtfully and according to their individual circumstances.
For children, participation in Yom Kippur can take many forms that don’t involve fasting—such as attending age-appropriate services, asking questions, creating artwork, reading Jewish stories, or participating in acts of kindness.
Prayer and Reflection
Prayer is at the heart of Yom Kippur.
Throughout the day, Jewish communities gather for extended services that provide opportunities for confession, reflection, music, Torah reading, and communal prayer.
One of the central prayers is the Vidui, or confession. Rather than focusing only on individual mistakes, much of the traditional Yom Kippur confession uses the plural “we.” The community collectively acknowledges the ways human beings can miss the mark.
That idea is powerful: we don’t have to navigate our mistakes alone.
Yom Kippur creates a communal space where people can acknowledge imperfection, seek forgiveness, and commit themselves to doing better.
Temple Sinai’s worship services provide opportunities throughout the year to gather in community, reflect, and connect Jewish tradition with contemporary life.
Asking for Forgiveness
One of the most meaningful aspects of Yom Kippur happens before we even enter the synagogue.
Jewish tradition teaches that Yom Kippur can help us repair our relationship with God, but we are responsible for repairing our relationships with other people.
That means forgiveness isn’t simply something we ask for during a prayer service.
It may mean calling someone we haven’t spoken to in months.
Admitting that we were wrong.
Having a difficult conversation.
Making amends.
Or simply saying, “I’m sorry.”
For families, this can become one of the most accessible and meaningful lessons of the holiday. Children don’t need to understand every element of Yom Kippur to understand the importance of apologizing sincerely and giving others the opportunity to make things right.
Kol Nidre: Beginning the Day
Yom Kippur begins with one of the most recognizable and emotionally powerful services of the Jewish year: Kol Nidre.
The Kol Nidre prayer is traditionally recited before the evening Yom Kippur service and has become one of the defining musical and spiritual moments of the High Holidays.
For many Jewish families, hearing the Kol Nidre melody is deeply connected to memory and tradition. Parents and grandparents may have heard the same melodies throughout their lives, creating a powerful sense of continuity across generations.
It is one of the reasons that attending Yom Kippur services can feel very different from simply learning about the holiday. The music, prayers, silence, community, and ritual combine to create an experience that is difficult to reproduce anywhere else.
Yizkor: Remembering Those We Have Lost
Another important Yom Kippur tradition is Yizkor, a memorial service honoring loved ones who have died.
Yizkor means “remember,” and the service provides an opportunity to pause and hold the memory of parents, grandparents, spouses, siblings, friends, and others who have shaped our lives.
For families, Yizkor can also become an important way of teaching children that Jewish life includes remembering those who came before us.
We carry their stories.
We remember their values.
And in doing so, we help their presence continue to shape the generations that follow.
The Neilah Service: The Closing of Yom Kippur
As Yom Kippur draws to a close, the community gathers for Neilah, the final service of the day.
The word Neilah means “closing,” referring to the closing of the metaphorical gates of judgment and the conclusion of Yom Kippur.
After an entire day devoted to reflection, prayer, and repentance, Neilah carries a sense of urgency and hope. The day is coming to an end, but the opportunity to change does not.
The service traditionally concludes with the final blast of the shofar, marking the end of Yom Kippur.
Afterward, families and communities often break the fast together.
The movement from fasting and solemn reflection to food, conversation, and connection can feel like a physical expression of the holiday’s deeper message: we reflect, we repair, and then we move forward.
Helping Children Understand Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur can be challenging to explain to young children because some of its traditions—fasting, lengthy services, and solemn reflection—are not necessarily designed around a child’s experience.
But the underlying ideas are remarkably accessible.
Parents can talk with children about:
- Saying I’m sorry when we’ve hurt someone
- Forgiving others when they make mistakes
- Thinking about our actions over the past year
- Making amends when something needs to be repaired
- Helping others through kindness and generosity
- Setting intentions for the year ahead
For younger children, the focus can simply be on the idea that everyone makes mistakes and everyone has the opportunity to learn, grow, and try again.
Jewish education helps these ideas become part of a child’s life rather than something they encounter only once a year. At Temple Sinai, children can explore Jewish traditions and values through Gan Sinai Preschool and continue their Jewish learning through the Sinai Learning Lab and other programs available through I AM Sinai.
From Reflection to Renewal
Yom Kippur is sometimes described as a solemn or even difficult holiday, and there is certainly seriousness to the day.
But at its heart, Yom Kippur is an extraordinarily hopeful tradition.
It begins with the assumption that we can change.
We can repair relationships.
We can apologize.
We can forgive.
We can return to our values.
We can choose differently tomorrow than we did yesterday.
That is why the holiday concludes not with despair, but with the sound of the shofar and the beginning of a new chapter.
Celebrating Yom Kippur at Temple Sinai
For many Jewish families, Yom Kippur is inseparable from community.
It is the experience of sitting together in the sanctuary. Hearing familiar melodies. Seeing generations gathered in one place. Sharing moments of silence and reflection. Remembering loved ones. And ultimately leaving together with a renewed sense of purpose.
Temple Sinai welcomes members, guests, and those who may be experiencing the High Holidays with the community for the first time.
You can find information about Yom Kippur and the High Holy Days at Temple Sinai, including opportunities to gather for worship and reflection.
You can also explore Temple Sinai’s upcoming events as the High Holiday season approaches.
A Day to Reflect. A Chance to Begin Again.
Yom Kippur asks questions that are relevant far beyond one day of the Jewish calendar:
Who do I want to be?
What relationships matter most?
What do I need to repair?
What can I let go of?
And what kind of year do I want to create?
We may not have perfect answers. We don’t have to.
Yom Kippur simply gives us the time and space to ask the questions—and the encouragement to take the next step.
As the final shofar sounds and the new year moves forward, we are reminded that teshuvah is not just something we practice once a year. It is an ongoing invitation to return, repair, grow, and begin again.
G’mar Chatimah Tovah—may you be sealed for a good year.
