Psychologists in Israel explain Yom Kippur’s impact on change — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, psychologists Mario Mikulincer and Aaron Cherniak explained why Yom Kippur can become an impetus for personal change but does not guarantee it without sustained work on behavior. As The Jerusalem Post reports, the specialists link repentance not only to experiencing guilt but also to concrete and consistent actions.
Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, is marked by an almost 25-hour fast, prayers, and collective confession. Mikulincer, a psychologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and academic director of the Israel Center for Addiction and Mental Health, believes that this format creates space for self-reflection. At the same time, hunger can weaken the brain’s executive functions and make a person more impulsive, he noted.
Habits and realistic goals
According to Mikulincer, under stress, intentions often give way to habits that operate automatically. Therefore, willpower alone is not enough for change: the environment and consistent daily practices are important. He also warned against inflated expectations, when the decision to change initially brings emotional relief, but a person then faces the need to make real efforts.
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The psychologist advises moving gradually, setting achievable goals, acknowledging mistakes, and not confusing guilt with shame. In his view, guilt can motivate a person to correct an action, while shame and self-hatred can lead to denial, anger, and hinder a person from changing.
Crisis does not guarantee transformation
Aaron Cherniak, a psychologist at the Israel Center for Addiction and Mental Health, research director at the Shaare Nefesh Resilience Center, and a Modern Orthodox rabbi, stressed that personality traits can change in adulthood as well, although this usually happens gradually. In his view, a promise to change during Yom Kippur does not in itself alter established habits: lasting results come from repeated decisions to maintain new behavior.
Cherniak called crisis situations a possible catalyst for change because they disrupt the usual order of life. However, prolonged stress depletes the resources needed for planning, impulse control, and the formation of new habits. He added that motivation may emerge after the first, even small, actions, when a person sees their own progress.
