Yom Kippur

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The Day of Atonement has deep theological significance in the New Testament.  It points forward to Christ’s role as high priest.

The Jews have recently celebrated Yom Kippur on September 13th and 14th.  It is also known as ‘The Day Of Atonement’ and is the holiest day of the year for the Jews.  There are a lot of days to celebrate in September for the Jews.  They include Rosh Hashana – the Jewish New Year and Sukkot – the Feast of the Tabernacles.  September is a month of beginnings for us too.  We celebrate the beginning of autumn and often the Harvest Festival falls at this time.  The full moon in September is called the Harvest Moon because it allowed extra light for bringing in the harvest.  We have the autumn equinox when the days and nights are of equal length.  The days will now shorten until we reach the winter solstice in December.  This used to be the beginning of the year too for farming communities and is reflected in the beginning of new school terms after the summer holidays.

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