Yom Kippur, also known as The Day of Atonement is the second holy day we celebrate in the fall.  It comes just ten days after Yom Teruah.  It is seen by most as the holiest day of the year.  This is a day for prayer, repentance, reflection, and seeking forgiveness.  Many will go to others and ask for forgiveness, like mentioned in Matthew 5, in addition to seeking forgiveness from The Lord.  A solemn assembly is usually held with corporate prayers of repentance and fasting.

"And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever"

"You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.” 

Holy Convocation
Gather with friends, family, or your Bible study group.  Celebrating this day with friends will make it more enjoyable for everyone. Rejoice with others!

Offering
Strap on the feed bag! Have a potluck if you're hosting a big group.  This is a celebration, and every good party has delicious food.  

Blow the Trumpets
Okay, you might not be a trumpet player or own a shofar.  Get some party horns, and make a joyful noise to The Lord.  Blast some music and have a great time!

Solemn Rest
God wants to spend time with you and your family today.  He's asking you to take the day off work and focus on Him.  He loves you.  Enjoy it!

Ten days following Yom Teruah is judgment day, Yom Kippur.  It's said that during these ten days, God is closer than ever.  Yom Teruah is basically a call to repentance so we can stand blameless before The Lord on Yom Kippur.  Because of this, Many people will participate in a Tashlich ceremony on Yom Teruah, in preparation for Yom Kippur.  Tashlich means "to cast off" or "to cast away".  Participants symbolically cast away their sins and mistakes from the past year by throwing pieces of bread or other symbolic items into a natural body of water, referring to Micah 7:19, where it states, "You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea."  

If you went to a synagogue on Yom Teruah, you would probably hear a shofar ceremony. Traditionally, you will hear 100 shofar blasts in a shofar ceremony! Numbers 10 gives some direction as to what some of the different blasts mean.  Other blasts have been passed down through history.  You might not own a shofar, but it is commanded to listen to the blast of the shofar on Yom Teruah.  Here's a quick video with some shofar blasts!  If you don't have a shofar for this year, I encourage you to purchase one so you can have it ready for next year.  You'll also have time to practice blowing it.

Who are you going to celebrate with?  It's a holy convocation meant to be spend with other believers.  Do you have friends who would be interested in learning more about the holy days?

All right, where is this happening?  Do you want to meet up with everyone at a lake so you can hold a Tashlich ceremony?  Do you want to just have something at your house so you can blast the music?

Don't stress if you don't have a shofar.  You can buy one online from Israel or even Amazon.  Amazon also has some plastic shofars that anyone can use and bulk options so there's enough for everyone!

BUGLES
 Easy Enough! Go to your local grocery store and buy a bag of Bugles.  Now you have mini shofars! You can find many flavors, and individual bags too!

Shandwiches
Take some sandwich bread, throw on some spread.  Cut them into shofar shapes, and you've got yourself a shandwich sure to please.

Cookies
You can find these adorable cookie cutters on Amazon. If using store bought dough, be sure to chill it before baking.  You can leave them plain or use icing!

Crescent Rolls
You can wrap the dough around some foil and make pockets for sandwich filling. Be sure to line your foil with parchment paper so it doesn't stick.