Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, is a time for Jews to reflect on any sins or wrongdoings from the previous year. Many fast and take off work or school during this time. The holiday always follows Rosh Hashana, or the Jewish New Year, and the two observances are known together as the High Holidays.

This comparison is a visual metaphor to help understand the purpose and power of Yom Kippur. While kintsugi deals with physical objects, the principle it illustrates—that brokenness can become a source of beauty and strength rather than shame—applies to the spiritual work of atonement.

The idea of dragging a scaly reptile into holy waters — a ridiculous image paired with a moral imperative — makes one wonder what their lizard might be. And how do you let it go?

And why did the Baal Shem Tov choose Yom Kippur, of all days, for the telling of this tale? Early America Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur were especially important in colonial America for Jews. Rather than belonging to the rhythm of the entire Jewish year,

The stakes were cosmic. Would the crimson thread turn white, as hinted in Isaiah 1:18, “Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall become white as snow”? Would the scapegoat reach the wilderness unharmed, carrying the sins of the people with it, as commanded in Leviticus 16:10 ?

Yom Kippur feels like it should be the Jewish “cosa nostra,” our exclusive thing. Its one day of self-affliction, public confession, introspection and prayer for redemption gets the attention of even the most casual of Jews. So why does the Torah extend it to both native-born Israelis and strangers — resident aliens — who live there?