Reset & Return: Yom Kippur Guide

Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement – is the holiest 25 hours of the Jewish year. In 2025 it begins at sunset on Wednesday, 1 October, and ends after nightfall on Thursday, 2 October. Think of it as our annual reset button: we step back from routine, look honestly at the year that was, and sketch a kinder, more intentional path for the year ahead.

Lost in Translation - What Teshuvah Really Means

Most English prayer books render teshuvah as “repentance,” yet the Hebrew root ש-ו-ב (sh-u-v) means to come back. Teshuvah is the inner U-turn that guides us back: back to God, back to one another, back to the version of ourselves we were meant to live. And that can’t happen without forgiveness.

The Power of the Ten Days of Teshuvah

From Rosh Hashanah on 1 Tishrei to Yom Kippur on 10 Tishrei we walk through the Ten Days of Awe - a grace period when, tradition says, heaven’s gates stand wide open. Every dawn is a mini-reset: notice one weak spot, offer one honest apology, and swap in one small, better habit.

Why Forgiveness Matters

Forgiveness isn’t letting someone “off the hook.” It’s dropping the weight that keeps you stuck.

First comes saying I’m sorry - own what happened and promise to do better. Then comes letting go - recognise the hurt but refuse to let it write the sequel. Sometimes both sides meet in the middle; sometimes they don’t. Either way, we can’t ask God for kindness while gripping tight to grudges.

A Quick Mindfulness Exercise for Yom Kippur

• Before Kol Nidrei: Close your eyes, feel your heartbeat, whisper Hineni (“I am here”).
• Through the Fast: Name each emotion as it arises - breathe with it, and then channel it toward the change you want to make.
• Neilah (Closing Prayer): Inhale for four counts, exhale for six. Visualise a door sealing with light, not locks, signifying a bond now too strong to break.

Sacred Check-Up

In the same spirit of renewal, many Jewish communities use this season to check mezuzah scroll, making sure every doorway scroll is kosher so every mitzvah and every relationship - starts the new year in good repair.