Wearing White

Some Jews wear white on Yom Kippur. Because white is a symbol of purity and Yom Kippur is a day when we undertake a spiritual cleansing, it is an appropriate color for the occasion. Others interpret white as representative of the white shroud in which Jews are buried, symbolizing our mortality and reminding us of the need for humility and repentance.

Hearing the Shofar

Yom Kippur ends with a single, long blast of the shofar. The stirring sound of the shofar at the conclusion of the holiday has many different explanations. One is that the practice recalls the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai (when the shofar also was blown). Another is that the shofar signals the triumph of the Jewish community over its sins for another year.

Fasting

Fasting was initially thought to follow the divine commandment to "practice self-denial."
The Yom Kippur fast allows us to forget our physical desires for at least one day each year, concentrating solely on our spiritual needs. We focus on prayer, repentance, and self-improvement during the day before returning to our regular everyday life after the holiday.

Judaism has a strong respect for life, and although the Yom Kippur fast is very important, it is never permitted to jeopardize one's wellbeing. Many that are too sick to fast, those who need to eat with medicine, as well as pregnant or recently delivered mothers are not permitted to do so.