Erev Yom Kippur: 10 Things to Remember This Sunday

As Yom Kippur approaches, the final hours before the fast offer an opportunity to prepare not only physically, but spiritually. From giving tzedakah and asking forgiveness to blessing our children and guarding ourselves against anger, Jewish sources describe a number of practices that can help us enter the holiest day of the year with greater intention.

Here are 10 teachings and practices to keep in mind as Yom Kippur begins.

1. Give Extra Tzedakah

“A person should give generously to tzedakah on this day, even beyond his means, for giving tzedakah is a wonderful remedy for atoning for sins, especially when given to worthy poor Torah scholars.” (Yesod VeShoresh HaAvodah)

Giving tzedakah on the day before Yom Kippur can become part of our preparation for the day ahead, turning our attention outward and reminding us to think about the needs of others.

2. Make the Pre-Fast Meal an Act of Serving Hashem

The meal before the fast is not simply about eating enough to get through the next 25 hours. The Yesod VeShoresh HaAvodah encourages us to approach it with intention:

“The Erev Yom Kippur meal should not be made as a matter of routine. Rather, one should intend that this meal brings great pleasure to Hashem, blessed be His Name. Awe of Him should be before him, so that he does not eat merely for his own enjoyment, G-d forbid.”

The source also cautions against overeating, which can leave a person uncomfortable and interfere with prayer later on. Instead, the meal itself can be elevated by eating with the right intention, including words of Torah at the table, remembering those in need, and reciting Birkat HaMazon with particular concentration.

3. Immerse in the Mikveh

“It is appropriate to immerse in the mikveh with a broken heart, and to pray Minchah with physical cleanliness and tremendous intention.” (Yesod VeShoresh HaAvodah)

The Maharal connects this immersion with teshuvah, comparing it to the immersion of a convert beginning a new chapter. Accordingly, it is appropriate to immerse three times.

There is an encouraging message in this image: as Yom Kippur begins, we have the opportunity to approach Hashem with a fresh start, like a new page waiting to be written.

4. Be Especially Careful About Anger

The hours before Yom Kippur can be hectic. There are meals to prepare, children to organize, last-minute tasks to finish, and a deadline that cannot be pushed back. That makes guarding against anger especially important.

Rabbi Elimelech Biderman, citing earlier sages, teaches:

“As Yom Kippur and the day before it arrive, the Satan tries to cause Jews to stumble in anger, a trait akin to idolatry. As it is said in Tractate Shabbat, ‘Anyone who becomes angry is like one who worships idols.’ One must be extremely careful to flee from anger on this day.”

Preparing for Yom Kippur is not only about what we do. It is also about how we treat the people around us while doing it.

5. Bless Your Children With Intention

Before leaving for synagogue, the Yesod VeShoresh HaAvodah encourages parents to bless their children with heartfelt intention:

“The essence of the blessing should be that they serve Hashem all their lives; that Hashem grant them wisdom and understanding in His holy Torah, a great desire to study our holy Torah day and night, and long lives and years; and that you merit to see children and grandchildren from them engaged in Torah and mitzvot all their lives.”

Rather than focusing only on success, health, or happiness, the blessing centers on the child’s lifelong relationship with Hashem and the Torah.

6. Ask Forgiveness

One of the most important preparations for Yom Kippur involves the people around us.

“Before going to synagogue, a person should be very careful to make peace with anyone he offended, even if it was only through speech.” (Yesod VeShoresh HaAvodah)

The source also emphasizes fulfilling outstanding tzedakah pledges and trying to put matters right before entering synagogue. The goal is to approach Yom Kippur having made a sincere effort to repair what we can.

7. Verbally Accept the Day’s Afflictions

The Yesod VeShoresh HaAvodah recommends verbally accepting the obligations of Yom Kippur before going to synagogue:

“I hereby accept upon myself to afflict my soul on this Yom Kippur, as my Creator and Maker commanded me in His holy Torah.”

The declaration goes on to mention refraining from work and accepting the five forms of affliction associated with the day: eating and drinking, washing, anointing, wearing leather shoes, and marital relations.

The idea is to enter Yom Kippur consciously, rather than simply allowing the fast to begin around us.

8. Remember the Day’s Essential Work: Teshuvah

Amid the many prayers and customs of Yom Kippur, it is important not to lose sight of the heart of the day.

“Yom Kippur is a time of teshuvah for every individual and for the community, and it is the culmination of pardon and forgiveness for the Jewish people. Therefore, everyone is obligated to do teshuvah and confess on Yom Kippur.” (Yesod VeShoresh HaAvodah)

The fasting, prayers, and confessions all point toward the same goal: recognizing where we have gone wrong and sincerely returning to Hashem.

9. Find Meaning in the Difficulty of the Fast

The Yesod VeShoresh HaAvodah offers a striking perspective on the physical discomfort of Yom Kippur. Rather than seeing hunger and weakness merely as obstacles to endure, it encourages a person to recognize that every moment of the fast is itself part of fulfilling the mitzvah of the day.

“Every person should reflect and understand that it is fitting and good to rejoice enormously at every moment that he endures the discomfort of abstaining from food and drink and removing his shoes, for every moment of discomfort fulfills a positive commandment from the Torah.”

As the fast becomes more difficult, particularly later in the day, the source encourages a person to remember that the discomfort itself can have spiritual meaning.

This teaching refers to the ordinary hunger, thirst, and fatigue of fasting. Anyone with a medical concern or who has been instructed to eat or drink should follow appropriate medical and halachic guidance. Protecting one’s health when required is not a failure to observe Yom Kippur.

10. Be Especially Careful About Theft

During Neilah, we ask Hashem that “we may cease from the oppression of our hands.” Rabbi Ziskind draws particular attention to these words, urging anyone who has even a trace of stolen property in their possession to resolve sincerely to make amends immediately after Yom Kippur.

He notes that theft is singled out explicitly in the Neilah prayer, emphasizing the seriousness of wrongdoing involving another person’s property.

If there is something that needs to be returned, repaid, or corrected, Yom Kippur is a time to make a genuine commitment to put it right.

These 10 practices share one underlying message: Yom Kippur does not begin only when Kol Nidrei starts. The way we give, eat, speak, forgive, bless our families, control our anger, and repair our relationships in the hours beforehand can all become part of our preparation.

The goal is not simply to arrive at synagogue before the fast begins. It is to arrive ready to do teshuvah, with as much intention, humility, and openness as we can bring.