Since the vast majority of human sins are committed through the body, it is a powerful exercise to withhold sustenance from the physical vessel while we meditate on the things we must repair within ourselves.
If you ask any Jewish person today, they will tell you that Yom Kippur* is the holiest day of the year. In Israel, all businesses close, and there is no traffic on the streets. It is a beautiful sight to see children playing in the middle of the avenues or people walking toward synagogue services that last nearly the entire day.
The sanctity of this day is ancient. This was the only day of the year when the High Priest entered the Kodesh Kodashim—the “Holy of Holies” in the Temple—to place the blood of the sacrificed goat upon the east side of the mercy seat, between the cherubim. This specific action was the method provided in the Torah to atone for the sins of Israel annually.
Yom Kippur is not a celebratory holiday; it is a solemn day of introspection and meditation. According to the commandment of the Torah, it is a day of affliction:
It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls…
Leviticus 23:32
In that same chapter, it even states that “any person who is not afflicted on this very day shall be cut off from his people.”
Understanding Biblical Affliction
For those who desire to observe the biblical commandments, understanding what “affliction” truly means is of utmost importance. Does it mean physical self-flagellation? Skipping our favorite television program? Or perhaps missing a football game that unfortunately falls on the same day?
While these may feel like “affliction” depending on who you ask, we must look at these concepts through a biblical Hebrew perspective to find clarity. There are two key words we must analyze: Afflict and Soul.
וְעִנִּיתֶם אֶת־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם
(ve’initem et nafshoteijem)
“You shall afflict your souls”
Standard translations often use the word “soul,” but how does one afflict a soul? The word used here is not neshamah (the spiritual breath), but nefesh. While “soul” is a common translation for nefesh, it isn’t always the most accurate in this context. Nefesh refers more to the physical life or the living being.
For example, Scripture says, “All the persons who were born to Jacob were seventy” (Exodus 1:5). The Hebrew word for “persons” there is nefesh. It refers to the physical life of a person.
From Affliction to Humility
The word for affliction comes from the root anah (ענה), which relates to distress or oppression. However, in Hebrew, it is closely linked to the root anav (ענו), which means humility.
By definition, a humble person is someone who is “afflicted” or “oppressed” in the sense that they voluntarily place themselves below others. When we see these terms together in Scripture, their meaning becomes clear:
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled (afflicted) my soul (nefesh) with fasting…
Psalm 35:13
The Psalmist gives us the answer: in ancient Israel, one afflicted their nefesh through fasting. Fasting is the simplest way to “afflict” the body, yet it is difficult for many. It deprives the body of its most basic sustenance. When the body is deprived, we do so for the sake of the spirit.
Since the vast majority of human sins are committed through the body, it is a powerful exercise to withhold sustenance from the physical vessel while we meditate on the things we must repair within ourselves.
The Fast That Yehovah Chooses
We see this same relationship in the iconic passage of Isaiah 58, which speaks specifically of Yom Kippur:
Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’
Isaiah 58:3a
Fasting is undoubtedly a requirement for those observing this holy day, provided their health is not compromised. One should never put their life at risk to keep a commandment, as the biblical principle is to preserve life.
However, for those who do fast but attend services with a resentful or arrogant attitude because of the “difficult task” of not eating for 24 hours, the second half of Isaiah’s message is vital:
In the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exploit all your laborers… Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Isaiah 58:3b, 6-7
When we combine the physical act of fasting with this heart of justice:
Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of Yehovah shall be your rear guard.
Isaiah 58:8
In conclusion, fasting is an essential part of “afflicting our souls,” but there is a “fast” even more important: our teshuvah (repentance) and the changing of our actions. Through Yeshua the Messiah, we find the strength to align our physical lives with the heart of Yehovah.
* Yom Kippur is simply the singular form of Yom haKippurim. Although the plural form appears in Leviticus 23, the singular is more commonly used today.