The are ten days in the period known as the Days of Awe that begin with Rosh Hashanah and end with Yom Kippur. They are also known as the Days of Repentance. During these ten days G-d judges each person and writes their fate in His Book on Rosh Hashanah. Depending upon the actions of a person during the ten days of Awe, He can change His judgment. The book is sealed on Yom Kippur. Jews begin in the month of Elul which comes right before Rosh Hashanah to evaluate their lives and during these ten days they show repentance (teshuvah), take time for prayer (tefilah), and give charity (tzedakah) so G-d will write them a good year in the Book.

This is a time when people atone for their sins against G-d and man. It is necessary to make right the wrongs you did to another person before you can ask G-d for forgiveness on Yom Kippur. In the Bible G-d requires the shedding of blood in order to be forgiven of sin, but since the Temple was destroyed there has been no place for the Jews to sacrifice an animal for the remission of sin. The Orthodox Jew, especially in Israel, will take a chicken and swing it over his head the morning of Yom Kippur and say a prayer that the chicken be used for the atonement of sin. Prayers for forgiveness, selichot, are said during this period.

Jews can work from the third day to the ninth day of Tishri except for Saturday when they observe the Shabbat. The Shabbat that comes during the Days of Awe is called the Shabbat Shuvah or the Sabbath of the Return and is a special Shabbat.

On the third day of Tishri there is the Fast of Gedaliah which remembers the death of the Jewish governor of Judah. It is not connected to the rituals of the Days of Awe.