It seems obvious enough: after fasting for 25 hours on Yom Kippur, of course we gather for a big “break-the-fast.” But there’s more to it than quieting our grumbling stomachs. Jewish tradition teaches that the meal on Motzei Yom Kippur (the evening after the fast) has a special significance of its own. It’s actually meant to be a festive meal.1

A Festive Time

The book of Kohelet tells us: “Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a gladsome heart, for G‑d has already approved your deeds.”2

The Midrash explains that this verse is talking about the meal after Yom Kippur. We’ve just finished the holiest day of the year, a day when we rise above ourselves and are compared to angels. Our sins have been forgiven, and we emerge renewed. No wonder the moment has a festive quality!

In fact, the sages teach that a Heavenly voice goes out on this night, proclaiming: “Go and eat in joy.”3 This meal is a celebration of the forgiveness and closeness to G‑d we’ve achieved.

That’s also one reason we blow the shofar at the very end of Neilah: to announce that the night that follows is a time of joy, when everyone should sit down to a proper, festive meal. Since not everyone might have realized this, the sages made sure the shofar blast would spread the word.4

Because of this festive nature, we greet each other after Yom Kippur with warm, festive wishes, just like we do on other festivals and Shabbat.5

And while there aren’t special food requirements, it’s customary to wash for bread (and dip it into honey6). The main thing is that the food should be tasty and celebratory.

A Source of Blessings

The Chassidic masters take it even deeper. They explain that this meal actually becomes a channel for the spiritual achievements of Yom Kippur to translate into material blessings throughout the year ahead.7

From One Mitzvah to the Next

There’s another beautiful custom for Motzei Yom Kippur: beginning preparations for the next holiday, Sukkot. Ideally, we start building the sukkah that very night, or at least talk about it.8 The idea is to move directly from one mitzvah to the next, ensuring that the spiritual momentum of Yom Kippur carries forward.