The 10 days from Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, to Yom Kippur are called in Judaism the Ten Days of Repentance, the Days of Awe, or, in colloquial English, the High Holy Days. Jewish thought holds that on Rosh Hashanah, God inscribes every person’s name in either the book of life, the book of death, or an intermediate book for those whose fates are not yet determined for the coming year. Performing acts of kindness, atoning for sins, and prayerfully seeking forgiveness during the High Holy Days are thought to help someone whose fate is unclear be inscribed in the book of life by the time the divine books are sealed on Yom Kippur.