Yom Kippur Spiritual Enlightenment

Yom Kippur which begins this Sunday, is neither physically nor mentally a comfortable holiday to observe. The Day of Atonement consists of a 25 hour fast combined with a hyper-intense period of soul-searching and introspection, during which supplicants beg God to pardon their iniquities and inscribe their souls in the Book of Life for another year.

Yet while the Jewish calendar is filled with far more celebratory and joyous festivals, Yom Kippur remains the most widely-marked event amongst world Jewry, with secular and religious alike coming together as one to conduct a moral inventory and wipe clean their slates in preparation for the year ahead.

The concept of teshuva is central to the Yom Kippur experience; literally translated as "returning", teshuva is the Jewish term for repentance, an action that cannot be truly complete until a thorough spiritual process is undertaken in earnest. Teshuva closely resembles the 12 Steps of AA, which is no accident: the 12-Steps are largely based on Maimonides' Laws of Teshuva, and both begin with a frank and full admission that one has sinned and is prepared to turn to a higher power for assistance in improving one's behaviour and actions in the future.

Jewish law instructs adherents that it is not enough simply to make one's peace with God during the Ten Days of Awe (which begin on Rosh Hashanah and culminate in the Yom Kippur fast). Rather, it is first and foremost incumbent on individuals to apologise to their fellow men for any injustices they may have committed during the past year – and only then may they approach God and offer up their prayer for forgiveness from above.

Judaism is by no means alone in the use of ascetic means to achieve a heightened state of self-awareness as part of the repentance process – all the major religions use the power of abstention and self-denial to this end. On Yom Kippur there is a tangible sense of detachment from the ordinary world, which is made even more pronounced by the inclusion of ancient rituals and symbols into the synagogue service.

All year round, Jews are forbidden from kneeling during prayer, since the practise is thought to too closely resemble idol worship – but on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur the ban is lifted several times, in order to forcefully remind worshippers of their subservience to God. A ram's horn is blown like a trumpet at several points during the Rosh Hashanah service, its haunting notes acting as a clarion call to those within earshot to encourage them to wake up to their wrongdoings settle their spiritual account.

During the most intense periods of prayer we are reminded "But repentance, prayer and charity remove the severity of the decree", a maxim intended to give heart to all those who believe their past sins have put them beyond salvation. Even outside the religious sphere, repentance and charity are key concepts for the successful rehabilitation of former offenders.

Whether it's Rowan Williams calling on bankers to atone for their sins, politicians expressing true remorse for their avarice, or individual citizens endeavouring to become less self-centred and pay more attention to the needs of the less well-off, everything begins with repentance, and must be accompanied by a switch to a charitable, benevolent state of mind if any real and lasting change is to occur.

Those flooding synagogues around the world this weekend are, for the most part, recognising that spending the day praying, fasting and repenting is a first step on the road to spiritual recovery. Whether they are successful or not in bettering their actions for the year to come depends on their ability to sustain their good intentions for longer than just an intensive 25 hour session. But, as with AA – as with any other rehabilitative model – the first and most crucial step is admitting one has a problem, and Yom Kippur provides the perfect occasion for just such a confession.