Yom Kippur ~ Day of Atonement

Saturday 4 October 2014                Tishrei  10  5775

Yom Kippur ~ Day of Atonement
Lev 16:1-4, Num 29:7-11, Isa 57:14-58:14, Matt 12:22-50

Yom Kippur (the Day Atonement or, literally, “Day of Covering”), was the only day of the year in which the high priest of Israel was permitted to enter the Most Holy Place in the Mishkan (Tabernacle). On this most sombre and sacred of holy days, he did not wear his usual distinctive attire — crown, ephod and breastplate — but a simple white linen robe, symbolic of humility.

His first duty was to sacrifice a bullock and offer it as an atonement for the sins of the priesthood. He then carried hot coals from the brazen altar to the small altar in the Holy Place, onto which he sprinkled fresh incense; thereby creating a smoke screen that partially hid the ark from view. The blood of the sacrifice was then taken into the Most Holy Place and sprinkled on the ‘kapporet’ (‘atonement cover’ or lid of the ark).

When lots had been cast to determine which of two male kid goats would be sacrificed for the atonement of the sins of the nation, the same procedure was followed. The high priest then took the second goat — the “scapegoat” or azazel — and openly confessed the sins of Israel before God, while ‘leaning the sins’ onto its head. This scapegoat or ‘escape goat’ was then driven from the camp, signifying that the community was being separated from its sins by having them carried away into the desert by the goat. Finally, the carcasses of the bullock and first goat were taken outside of the camp and burnt. It was on this day alone, as the high priest offered the blood of the bullock and the kid in the Most Holy Place, that he was permitted to utter the sacred personal name of the God of Israel — “YHVH”…

Between 515 B.C. and A.D. 70, the azazel was driven over a cliff; ensuring that it didn’t return. The Talmud records that a piece of red yarn was tied to one of the goat’s horns, and that up until approximately A.D. 30, the wool always turned white — signifying that the Israelites had been purified from sin. This no longer happened after the death of Yeshua, however. The wool remained red. From a Messianic perspective, the goat of the sin offering and azazel were no longer necessary. The ultimate atoning sacrifice had been offered, once and for all, by means of the death of Messiah ~ and sincere believers’ names are thus written in the Lamb’s Book of Life… Still, it is good to take stock of our lives once a year; to repent of sin (whether personal or communal), resolve damaged relationships and wipe the slate clean for the coming year… 

In synagogues today, the shofar sounds as a call to worship on the eve of Yom Kippur. The color white predominates; symbolizing purity, death, and the equality of all people before God. The Kol Nidre or “All Vows” prayer — a beautiful opening prayer, which is sung — marks the beginning of 25 hours of fasting and praying; and during the ensuing services, worshippers acknowledge transgressions against others and against HaShem. On this day of profound introspection, themes of repentance, prayer, and charity are repeatedly emphasized and Jewish martyrs are remembered. In this way, the Jewish people seek to be united with God on the deepest level possible.

The events of the forty days of t’shuvah (repentance) reach their climactic conclusion at sunset on Yom Kippur with the exclamation, “Shema Yisra‘el!” (“Hear, O Israel!”), and a final blast of the shofar… Yom Kippur is the only holy day that is not a feast, but a solemn fast. It demands everything from the sincere worshipper…

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isa. 1:18)
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