Tales of the Feasts
Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement


This Jewish crown features a Torah ark
and several stars of David.


A day of prayer and fasting for Talmidim.

The tenth day of the seventh month is an important holy day. It is the Day of Atonement. On the Day of Atonement God judges sins. Atonement means covering, and we want God to cover over our sins. It is a day to tell God we are sorry for the things we have done wrong and to pray for forgiveness. It is a day to be sorry for all the mitzvahs we have broken. If we repent from our sins and confess them to God he will forgive us and atone for us. He will cover our sins because Messiah has already made atonement for us. He has already covered our sins with his blood.

The Day of Atonement is an important holy day with an important holy mitzvah. It is a mitzvah that is for everyone to do on the Day of Atonement, everyone, that is, except for kids. What is the important, holy, Day of Atonement mitzvah that is not for kids to do? It is called fasting. The Torah tells us to fast on the Day of Atonement.

Do you know what fasting is? Fasting means eating no food and drinking no water. It is hard to do for a whole day. Our bodies need food and water to keep making energy and to keep going. When we fast, our bodies get very hungry and thirsty. Fasting means more than not eating and drinking though. Fasting also means that we do not let ourselves enjoy other special pleasures. For example, many people do not wear shoes on the Day of Atonement, but go barefoot instead. A fast day would not be a day to wear some extra fancy clothes or to watch a movie or go to a ball game. A fast day is a day for praying. It is hard to fast.

Why does the Torah command us to fast on the Day of Atonement? Because the Day of Atonement is the day that God judges sins. We fast to remember to be sorry for our sins and to remind ourselves to be serious about praying to God for forgiveness. Fasting keeps us from forgetting the holiness of the day, and it keeps our hearts humble.

But why shouldn't kids fast of the Day of Atonement? Because kid's bodies are still growing and need food for fuel and energy. But you can fast in different ways. You could decide not eat any sweets on the Day of Atonement or perhaps you could skip one meal on the Day of Atonement. There are many different ways kids can start practicing the mitzvah of fasting on the Day of Atonement so that when they turn Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah, they will be ready to keep the Torah.

Chayim B'Yeshua - Life In Yeshua

In the days of the Master, some people made a big show out of fasting. They made sad faces and did not wash themselves so that everyone would know that they were fasting. They wanted people to notice that they were fasting and say, "Oh my, what holy people that fast so much!"

Yeshua told his talmidim not to be like that. He said, "Do not look somber as the hypocrites do to show men they are fasting." Instead, Yeshua told his talmidm to do two things when they fast. Look up the verses in your bible and see what the two things are. Read Matthew 6:16-18. What the two things we should do when we fast? Email the answer to Rabbi Stan by clicking here.

Kehilat Sar Shalom

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