Americans recall how legendary baseball pitcher Sandy Kofax refused to play in the World Series on Yom Kippur. Even Wall Street virtually shuts down on this great and solemn day. As the culmination of the Ten Days of Repentance that begin with the two days of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur is the great celestial bath, a day in which the sins of the entire nation of Israel are washed away. Even in a secular age in which many are divorced from tradition, an estimated 90 percent of all Jews attend synagogue on Yom Kippur. For most, it constitutes their only annual Jewish observance.
Man is a unique creature.
Unlike animals, human beings possess the ability to scrutinise their lives. We are the only creatures who are actually capable of re-programming. We can detach ourselves from our actions, hold our lives in the palms of our hands as if we were outsiders, and make changes for the better. In this capacity for reorientation lies humanity's greatness. For this reason, Yom Kippur, a day devoted entirely to the process of introspection and change, is seen as the holiest day of the year.