19 Songs To Get You Ready For Yom Kippur

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By Jon Savitt September 14, 2018

Yom Kippur is known as the day of atonement, and it’s one of the holiest days in Judaism (besides my Bar Mitzvah and Jon Stewart’s birthday).

It’s a time for reflection, forgiveness and self-improvement. With our weeks filled with deadlines, to-do lists and texts we forgot to return, Yom Kippur provides a much needed time to think about our relationships, behaviors and ultimate purpose — hopefully leading to a happier, more fulfilled life.

But while reflection comes easily to some, the activity can be challenging for others. Let’s face it: it’s much easier to check out the latest Twitter drama than to turn our phones off and reflect. It starts with putting yourself in an environment that’s conducive to engaging in meaningful thought. What better way to get in the Repenting ZoneTM than with music?

Sure, we all like music. Asking someone if they like music is like asking if they like Cap’n Crunch — the answer is obviously yes. Based on what happens at bars, I truly believe that we can achieve world peace by playing “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” over a gigantic speaker so the whole world could hear.

But music has more practical purposes we often don’t think about. Music is proven to help moods, reduce stress and more easily recall past memories. It can be used as a tool to get a desired response. Just like you’d use a wrench to tighten a…something (everything I own is IKEA). This is one reason why we’ve seen such success with Music Therapy.

I’m not saying that listening to Jimi Hendrix will help you not be an asshole anymore, but it might create a space for you where you’re able to at least think about not being an asshole. And that’s…good?

So hide the carbs and grab your headphones. Here is your official 2018 Yom Kippur playlist. Reflect responsibility.

I Write Sins Not Tragedies — Panic! At The Disco

Apologize — Timbaland

Sorry, Blame It On Me — Akon

I’m Only Sleeping — The Beatles

Sorry — Justin Bieber

Let’s Stay Together — Al Green

Start Today — Fall Out Boy

A Change is Gonna Come — Sam Cooke

Homecoming — Kanye West

Hungry Heart — Bruce Springsteen

I Pray — Soulja boy

Living On A Prayer — Bon Jovi

My Stupid Mouth — John Mayer

Ms. Jackson — Outkast

Work From Home — Fifth Harmony

Tired — LCD Soundsystem

If I Could Turn Back Time — Cher

I Want You Back — Jackson 5

Whatcha Say — Jason Derulo

What songs did we miss? What are you listening to? Be sure to reply or comment!

Jon Savitt is a writer currently living in Washington D.C. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, TIME, HuffPost, Cosmopolitan, MTV News, and elsewhere. You can find him on Twitter @Savittj.

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