YOM KIPPUR
You want to connect to Yom Kippur this year.
We're here to help.
With Aleph Beta’s animated videos, delightful podcasts, and easy-to-read printable guides, it’s easy and fun to show up for Yom Kippur feeling spiritually prepared.
Our Favorite Videos for Yom Kippur
The Meaning And Purpose Of Yom Kippur
Rabbi David Fohrman - 9 min video
What is the purpose of Yom Kippur? What does Yom Kippur truly mean? After all, Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement but we also define it as one of the Days of Awe – but what does forgiveness of our sins have to do with awe? How are we supposed to understand the spiritual meaning of Yom Kippur?In Parshat Acharei Mot, it explains that Yom Kippur is the one day of the year we can directly connect with God, recreating the experiences of Sinai and the tabernacle. In this video, Rabbi Fohrman explains how it is through this contact with God that we are purified of our sins and we emerge reborn and pure on Yom Kippur.Through this perspective, we start to see that the main purpose of Yom Kippur is to let God envelop us with His presence, and that forgiveness is a byproduct or secondary purpose. There is no magic wand or holy day that automatically wipes away our sins, but we can find forgiveness on Yom Kippur through a closeness with God and our efforts to let go of our sins.Join Rabbi Fohrman as he challenges our understanding of what Yom Kippur truly means.When you're finished here, discover other great Yom Kippur videos at Aleph Beta, including ‘How To Do Teshuvah”, “The Story Of Jonah”. and “How To Get Closer To God.”
The Book Of Jonah: What's The Deep Lesson?
Rabbi David Fohrman - 6 episodes - 49 min video
The Book of Jonah reads almost like a child’s story, and the message seems just as simple: “It’s good to do teshuva.” But a close read of the text reveals a much more sophisticated tale, with a profound lesson that has deep relevance for our modern lives.
Teshuvah: Is There a Wrong Way to Repent?
Rabbi David Fohrman - 8 min video
Teshuvah (repentance), is an emotional and deeply personal process. Yet, Judaism has numerous laws for exactly how we’re supposed to repent, including a specific process of confession. How does this make sense? Can there really be a “right” and “wrong” way to repent?
Just How Guilty Should I Feel?
Rabbi David Fohrman - 2 episodes - 32 min video
The High Holidays are supposed to be a time of introspection. But guilt gets in the way, and most of us don't know where to start. Rabbi Fohrman turns to the 13 Attributes of Mercy to find a real path to forgiveness.
How Do I Get Closer To God?
Rabbi David Fohrman - 4 episodes - 38 min video
How can I attain closeness with a God who is so beyond my comprehension? And why would the Creator of the Universe care about my prayers? Is God even listening?
The Day of Atonement
Rabbi David Fohrman - 15 min video
What comes to mind when you think of Yom Kippur rituals? Yom Kippur is all about seeking atonement, but nowadays, we accomplish that through prayer and sitting in synagogue all day. But back when the Temple still stood, Yom Kippur customs involved goats and lotteries and sacrifices and sprinkling blood and incense and clouds. How do those weird Yom Kippur rituals atone for our sins? It sounds magical… and irrational. What meaning hides behind these ancient traditions that we can apply to our holy Day of Atonement today?In this video, we explore these strange Yom Kippur customs to understand how we can atone for our sins. Through this inspection, we deepen our understanding of what the Day of Atonement really means.
HIGH HOLIDAY READER
Prefer to Read?
Print this High Holiday Reader
Our High Holiday Reader is the printable PDF that you want to have in hand when the High Holidays begin. Essays, meditations, kids’ activities, and powerful reflections on prayer, teshuva, and getting closer to God.
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Not just a library to watch —
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Rabbi Fohrman
Our lead scholar
Rabbi David Fohrman is the founder and lead scholar at Aleph Beta. Over the last two decades, he’s pioneered a way of reading Biblical text that feels both rigorous and revelatory. Through Aleph Beta, he’s given expression to that, developing what is now a vast library of content, spanning all types of media: animated videos, podcasts and books. He’s also embarked on an effort to train a team of Torah scholars adept at the close-reading methodology he’s pioneered – and their work can be found at Aleph Beta, too.
Prior to his founding of Aleph Beta, Rabbi Fohrman served as a senior editor and writer for the ArtScroll Talmud Project. He also taught Biblical themes as adjunct faculty at Johns Hopkins University, where he had earlier received a Master’s degree in Western intellectual history. Rabbi Fohrman received his rabbinical and Talmudic training at the Ner Israel Rabbinical College, but some of his earliest and most profound exposure to Biblical text analysis came from his encounters with Rabbi Yosef Leibowitz, in his childhood years in Northern California.
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