Yom Kippur, or as it is often called Yom HaKadosh, the Holy Day, was given to the Jewish people as an opportunity to atone for all their sins. It is a day spent in fasting, prayer, and repentance.
The first Yom Kippur marked the day that Moshe returned from Mount Sinai with the second set of Tablets, the sign that G-d had finally forgiven the people for the sin of the Golden Calf. From that time on, the tenth day of Tishrei was designated as a day of forgiveness for the sins of the Jewish people. The Satan, who in the Jewish tradition is an angel whose job is to prosecute the sins of the Jewish people before G-d, is relieved of his post on this day. (Actually, the numerical value of the Hebrew word HaSatan equals 364, representing the 364 days of the year that he is at his job, excluding one day, Yom Kippur.)
Although there is an opinion in the Talmud that the mere day itself atones for sins, the generally accepted opinion is that Yom Kippur can only atone when combined with repentance. Maimonides discusses exactly what is needed to atone for different types of sins: For failing to fulfill positive commandments, one need only do Teshuva, or repentance, and he is forgiven. For transgressing negative prohibitions, one needs the combination of Teshuva with Yom Kippur to be atoned. Transgressing sins for which the punishment is kareis, spiritual disconnection, and for capital offenses requires not only Teshuva and Yom Kippur, but also one must also undergo suffering to achieve total forgiveness. Sins which involve a desecration of G-d's name, can only be atoned by death.
Also, Yom Kippur can only atone for sins between man and G-d. For sins between man and man, besides repenting before G-d one must ask for forgiveness from the injured party.
During the times of the Temple, the Kohain Gadol, the high priest, would perform a very special service on Yom Kippur in the Temple, while wearing white vestments instead of the regular golden ones. The explanation offered is that the source of Yom Kippur's power of atonement lies in the forgiveness of the Golden Calf. This being so, it would stand to reason that the Kohain Gadol should not wear anything made of gold, which serves as a reminder of the Golden Calf, as "the prosecutor cannot serve as a defender".
“…For the sin we have sinned before You of insincere confession...” (Yom Kippur liturgy)
Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein explains the sin of insincere confession with a parable. A thief was caught passing counterfeit money. The judge sternly imposed a stiff fine upon the fellow. The fellow paid his fine, but was later found to have paid with the very counterfeit currency he had been convicted for passing! The punishment will now be compounded much more than originally determined. Similarly, G-d grants us the opportunity to confess and repent for our sins. When a person merely voices his confession without any meaning, he is transgressing the very sins for which he needed to repent in the first place, thus compounding the punishment.
Did You Know...
The vidui (confession) is recited several times over Yom Kippur. This recital is necessary to achieve forgiveness for one’s sins. One must stand throughout the vidui, and bend one’s back slightly as a sign of humility. During the recital one may not lean on anything in such a way that if the object were to be removed the person would fall. If one did lean heavily on something there is a question whether he should repeat the vidui.
When saying the Ashamnu part of the vidui it is customary to gently strike one’s heart with the fist when mentioning each sin, as if to say that our heart’s desires have caused us to sin. Similarly, during Al Chet, one strikes the heart when saying the word “shechatanu,” “that we have sinned.” Although the vidui is rather generic, if one knows that he/ she has committed a specific sin, it should be mentioned softly, or at least thought of in on one’s mind.
