The fasting begins the 9th of Tishri—‏ערב יום כפור‎—about sunset, and lasts till the beginning of night on the following day. The phrase, ‏ועניתם את נפשתיכם‎ “Ye shall afflict yourselves,” is explained by Tradition to signify the total abstinence from all kinds of food and the gratification of other bodily desires (Mishnah, Yoma viii. 1). The reason of this commandment may be the following: The principal source of sin is the gratification of our bodily appetites; ‏תשובה‎ “return” to the right way must therefore include the earnest attempt to control, and when necessary to suppress, such appetites. Fasting is such an attempt. But it must be borne in mind that fasting is only one of the duties we have to fulfil on the Day of Atonement, and that the other duties are equally essential. ‏תשובה‎ “return,” is the principal object of the celebration of the Day of Atonement; it implies the following four steps:— 1. Consciousness of sin, ‏ידיעת החטא‎. We must again and again examine ourselves and try to discover our failings; our actions and our words must pass in review, and we must remember that, however good we may be, no man is righteous upon earth “that doeth good and sinneth not” (Eccles. vii. 20). 2. Confession of sin, ‏ודוי‎. [136] On the discovery of sin, we must have the courage to confess our guilt before him against whom we have sinned; if it is against God alone that we have sinned, we make silent confession before Him; if we find ourselves guilty of an offence against our fellow-man, we must confess our sin to him. 3. Regret, ‏חרטה‎. Having discovered and confessed our sin, we should feel pain and remorse, alike for the evil we have done and for the good we have left undone. 4. Amendment, ‏עזיבת החטא‎. The regret should be followed by a firm resolve to abandon the way of evil, and not to sin again, even if occasion be given for a repetition of the sinful act. There are five Services on the Day of Atonement: (1) Evening Service, ‏מעריב‎; [137] (2) Morning Service, ‏שחרית‎; (3) Additional Service, ‏מוסף‎; (4) Afternoon Service, ‏מנחה‎; (5) Concluding Service, ‏נעילה‎. [138]—The confession of sin, ‏ודוי‎ is the most essential and characteristic element in the Services of the Day of Atonement. In the Morning Service we read Lev. xvi., and Num. xxix. 7–11, on the sacrifices on the Day of Atonement; in the Afternoon Service, Lev. xviii., on forbidden marriages. The Lessons from the Prophets are: in the morning, Isa. lvii. 14–lviii. 14, on our duties on the fast-day; in the afternoon, the Book of Jonah, illustrating the effect of sincere repentance, and Micah vii. 18–20, on Israel’s repentance. HISTORICAL FEASTS AND FASTS. Besides the Festivals commanded in the Torah, we celebrate also in the course of the year anniversaries of certain days both of joy and of sorrow. Of the former kind are ‏חנוכה‎ and ‏פורים‎; of the latter, the 9th of Ab and four other fasts. ‏חנוכה‎ FEAST OF DEDICATION.