There are eight chapters in tractate Yoma. The tractate, whose name means “The Day,” focuses mainly on the laws and rituals of Yom Kippur.
Yoma is the fifth tractate in Seder Moed, the Mishnah’s “Order of Festivals.” Its opening chapters describe preparations for the High Priest, including his separation from his household and training before the holy day. The central chapters follow the Temple service itself: sacrifices, incense, the lottery of the goats, and the scapegoat ritual.
The final chapter turns from Temple procedure to practices that remain relevant after the Temple’s destruction, including Yom Kippur’s five traditional afflictions: abstaining from food and drink, bathing, anointing, wearing leather footwear, and marital relations. A common mix-up is confusing Yoma’s eight chapters with its 61 mishnayot or with the 88 pages of the Babylonian Talmud edition.