Your Yom Kippur Glossary: 15 Essential Terms to Know

Even before the cantor begins Kol Nidrei, it helps to understand what lies ahead. Here are 15 key terms, in the order you will encounter them throughout Yom Kippur, from Kol Nidrei on Yom Kippur night to the final shofar blast after Neilah. Think of it as a quick guide to understanding the journey through the Yom Kippur prayers.

1. Kol Nidrei

Kol Nidrei is recited before the evening service on Yom Kippur night. It contains a declaration concerning vows and oaths and is recited three times in Aramaic.

Two congregants stand on either side of the cantor holding Torah scrolls. The congregation recites the wording established by Maharam of Rothenburg: “With the consent of Hashem and with the consent of the congregation, in the court above and in the court below, we permit praying with transgressors.”

2. Vidui: Confession

Vidui, confessing one’s sins before Hashem, is a central part of the process of teshuvah. The Rambam writes in Mishneh Torah: “How does one confess? One says: ‘Please, Hashem, I have sinned, acted perversely, and transgressed before You, and I have done such-and-such. I regret and am ashamed of my actions, and I will never return to this matter.’ This is the essence of confession, and whoever confesses at length and expands on this matter is praiseworthy.”

3. Ashamnu

Ashamnu is the shorter confession, arranged in alphabetical order: “We have sinned, we have betrayed, we have stolen.” As the words are recited, it is customary to gently tap the heart with a fist or open hand, symbolizing the awakening of the heart and regret over one’s actions. The confession is recited while standing, with respect and humility.

It is also recited in the plural: “We have sinned.” One explanation connects this to the principle that “all Israel are responsible for one another.” On Yom Kippur, we stand before Hashem not only as individuals, but as part of a people that shares responsibility for one another.

4. Al Chet

Al Chet is the longer confession, listing 44 sins involving thought, speech, and action. Each begins with the phrase, “For the sin that we have sinned before You.” It is customary to gently tap the heart while reciting the words “we have sinned.”

5. The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy

The verses beginning “Hashem, Hashem, compassionate and gracious God...” (Exodus 34) describe the Thirteen Attributes through which Hashem governs the world with mercy.

The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 17b) describes how Hashem revealed this order of prayer to Moses our teacher:

“Rabbi Yochanan said: Had this not been written in a verse, it would be impossible to say it. This teaches that Hashem wrapped Himself like a prayer leader and showed Moses the order of prayer. He said to him: Whenever Israel sins, let them act before Me according to this order, and I will forgive them... Rav Yehudah said: A covenant has been made regarding the Thirteen Attributes, that they do not return unanswered, as it is stated: ‘Behold, I make a covenant.’”

6. Avinu Malkeinu

Avinu Malkeinu consists of a series of short requests beginning with the words “Our Father, our King.” According to the Gemara, Rabbi Akiva recited such a prayer during a drought and was answered (Ta’anit 25b).

Those opening words capture the relationship at the heart of the prayer: Hashem is our King, who judges the world, but He is also our Father, to whom we can always turn.

7. Unetaneh Tokef

Unetaneh Tokef is one of the most moving and powerful piyyutim in the High Holiday machzor. It is recited during the cantor’s repetition of the Musaf service on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

The prayer expresses the awe of standing before Hashem in judgment and our plea for life. Its vivid imagery emphasizes human frailty before the Master of the Universe and the gravity of the Day of Judgment.

8. The Avodah Service

During Musaf on Yom Kippur, Jewish communities traditionally recite the Avodah, which describes the service performed by the Kohen Gadol in the Holy Temple on Yom Kippur. The text draws on the Torah, Tractate Yoma, and various midrashim.

At specific points describing how the people bowed in the Temple, it is customary for the congregation to kneel and bow as well.

9. The Five Afflictions

The Torah commands, “You shall afflict yourselves” (Leviticus 16). The Mishnah (Yoma 8:1) details five prohibitions observed on Yom Kippur: eating and drinking, washing, anointing, wearing leather shoes, and marital relations.

By abstaining from these physical comforts for one day, we make greater room for prayer, teshuvah, and closeness to Hashem.

The author of Yesod VeShoresh HaAvodah writes that every moment a person experiences difficulty because of the fast is an opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah. A person should therefore appreciate even the challenging moments of the fast.

10. The Explicit Name of Hashem

During the Yom Kippur service in the Temple, the Kohen Gadol would pronounce the explicit Name of Hashem during the confessions and special declarations of the day.

When the priests and the people in the Temple courtyard heard the Name, they would kneel and prostrate themselves, saying: “Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever.” The sages teach that the Kohen Gadol pronounced the Name ten times during the day’s service.

11. The Scapegoat

Two identical goats were brought as part of the Yom Kippur service, as described in Leviticus 16. A lottery determined their respective roles: One was offered to Hashem, while the other was sent into the wilderness after the Kohen Gadol confessed the people’s sins over it.

12. The Haftarah of Jonah

During the afternoon Mincha service, the haftarah is the Book of Jonah.

The story teaches that we cannot run away from the mission Hashem has given us, but it also contains a fundamental lesson about the power of teshuvah. The sages emphasize that the verse does not say that Hashem saw the people’s sackcloth and fasting. Rather, “God saw their actions, that they had turned from their evil way.”

Teshuvah, in other words, is measured not only by fasting or expressing regret, but by the changes a person actually makes.

13. Yizkor

Yizkor is a memorial prayer recited on Yom Kippur in many communities. During it, people remember relatives who have passed away and pledge tzedakah for the elevation of their souls.

The prayer creates a powerful connection between generations, as the living perform acts of tzedakah in the merit of those who are no longer with us. In some communities, those whose parents are living leave the synagogue during Yizkor.

14. Neilah

Neilah is the fifth and final prayer service of Yom Kippur, recited toward sunset as the holy day draws to a close. Its name means “closing,” traditionally associated with the closing of the gates at the end of the day.

The Neilah service is recited with the ark open, and because these are the final moments of Yom Kippur, worshippers make a special effort to pray with deep kavanah and spiritual intensity.

During Neilah, as well as in the Avinu Malkeinu that follows, the wording changes from “inscribe us,” used throughout the Ten Days of Teshuvah, to “seal us,” reflecting the culmination of the period of judgment.

15. The Shofar Blast at the End of the Fast

At the conclusion of Neilah, a long shofar blast is sounded, marking the conclusion of the Yom Kippur prayers. One explanation for the custom connects it to the Jubilee shofar, which the Torah commands to be sounded on Yom Kippur and which symbolizes freedom and redemption.

It is important to remember that hearing the shofar does not itself end the fast. The fast ends at the appropriate time after nightfall.

Once the words and structure of the machzor become a little more familiar, the Yom Kippur prayers can feel less overwhelming. Instead of simply following page after page, we can begin to recognize the journey unfolding before us: from Kol Nidrei and confession, through the Avodah and the story of Jonah, to the final, intense moments of Neilah and the sound of the shofar.