YOM KIPPUR: AFFLICTING THE SOUL

Yom Kippur is a day of “afflicting your soul.” (Leviticus / Vayikra 23:27). Traditional Orthodox Jewish interpretation, custom and application of this verse is that Yom Kippur is a day of refraining from all bodily pleasures.

The rabbis interpret that there are five major Yom Kippur afflictions. They are: abstaining from eating, drinking, washing or anointing the body, wearing leather shoes and marital relations.