Overview
- Yom Kippur — the 25‑hour Day of Atonement — began at sundown on Sunday, September 20 and ends at nightfall on Monday, September 21 with services that start with Kol Nidre, close with Ne’ilah, and end with a long shofar blast.
- News outlets and synagogues have published local fast start and end times for major cities because observance is set by sunset and nightfall and therefore varies by location.
- Classical halakhic sources cited in coverage, including the Mishnah in Yoma and the Shulchan Aruch, state that Yom Kippur atones for sins between a person and God but not for interpersonal wrongs until the injured party is appeased.
- Rabbis in Houston and elsewhere are using this Yom Kippur to urge both seeking and granting forgiveness while stressing that forgiveness can be conditional and does not remove the need for accountability or reparations in cases such as abuse.
- Practical guidance published for worshippers urges pre‑holiday acts like asking forgiveness, annulment of vows, charity and observing medical exemptions, and the emphasis on repair this year may increase public pressure for apologies and behavioral change within communities.