What to Wear on Yom Kippur
It is customary to wear white clothing on Yom Kippur. In some communities Jews wore a kittel, which is white and resembles a robe. Some wore it on Rosh Hashanah as well.
There are many explanations for wearing the kittel. There is a humility in wearing a simple garment. Rather than focusing on our physical needs (we abstain from eating and drinking among other restrictions) it is a day dedicated to self-reflection and teshuva (repentance) so we wear a kittel to reflect a sense of purity.
And while expressing humility, wearing white also reflects a level of confidence. We stand before God, at the time of judgement, confident in our hope that we will be judged fairly and that we will be inscribed in the Book of Life for the coming year.
May we all enter Yom Kippur feeling both a sense of awe alongside a humble confidence toward the year ahead.
Watch Rabbi David Woznica’s Shabbat Sermon from August 13:
“What Does the Well Dressed Jew Wear on Yom Kippur?”
— Rabbi David Woznica