Yom Kippur concludes 10 days of soul-searching, atonement and repentance– the holiest Jewish time - which begins on Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the Jewish year, commemorating the creation of the first human-being, Adam.

Why did God choose the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, as the 'Day of Judgment,' and what are this holiday's wider implications for the rest of the world?

Yes, we have to feel remorse, and yes, it may very well be appropriate on an individual level to be moved to tears, but on the whole, our sages teach us that the confessional is actually a time to be happy.