According to the Torah — for gentiles, the first five books of the so-called Hebrew Bible — Jews celebrate the holiday Yom Kippur to honor the anniversary of when God forgave them. The story begins after the great exodus from Egypt, one which Biblical legend says occurred after the Jews had been enslaved there for generations. When their leader Moses ascended Mount Sinai to obtain ten holy commandments from God, the impatient Jews crafted a golden calf as an idol and began worshipping it. Upon discovering this betrayal, Moses became so angry that he smashed the original tablets containing the Ten Commandments. Later, however, he re-ascended Mount Sinai and eventually came back with a new set.
In short, God is said to have forgiven the Jews for betraying him, and in return Jews honor that day of forgiveness with their own day of atonement. As the Torah explains, "For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins shall ye be clean before the Lord." On Yom Kippur, Jews all over the world will fast, pray, avoid work or play and otherwise repent both for their sins and those of humanity as a whole. They do this for religious reasons... but what if, in addition to being spiritually cleansing, Yom Kippur is also flat-out good for one's mental health?
