DAY OF ATONEMENTS - YOM KIPPURIM

The Day of Atonement is a special day to Yahweh.  It is a part of the fall festival season and occurs just before the Feast of Tabernacles.  Most of the world hears of this day as being referred to as Yom Kippur.  What is this day?  What does it mean?  Does Yahweh expect us to observe it today?  If so, how? 

This holy day was given to all twelve tribes of Israel, not just the tribe of Judah.  But most of the things the world, or Christianity, knows about the observance of this day comes from Judaism.  What are their traditions?  Do they carefully follow what the Torah says about it?

HISTORICAL SOURCES

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, volume 1—

page 324 – “In Lev 23:26-32 mention is made in the list of festivals of the Day of Atonement, on the 10th day of the 7th month.  It is ordered that for this day there shall be a holy convocation at the sanctuary, a fast, an offering by fire, and rest from labor from the 9th day of the 7th month in the evening.”

pages 326-327 --  “The significance of the day is expressed in the name ‘Day of Atonement’ in the same manner as it is in the fast which was enjoined on the congregation as a sign of sorrow for their sins (this fasting being the only one enjoined by the law:  Lev 16:29, 31; 23:26ff; Nu 29:7ff).”

“The Day of Atonement, in accordance with its purpose in later times, came more and more into the foreground and was called ‘the great fast’ or ‘the great day,’ or merely ‘the day.’  Its ritual was further enlarged and the special parts mentioned in the law were fully explained, fixed and specialized…. Already seven days before the beginning of the Day of Atonement he” (the high priest) “was ordered to leave his house and had to submit to a series of purifications and had to practise for the performance of the different purification ceremonies, some of which were difficult.  The last night he was not allowed to sleep and had to spend his time in studying the sacred writings.  On the Day of Atonement he took five baths and ten washings.  Four times he enters the Holy of Holies (with the incense), with the blood of both sin offerings, and when he brings out the utensils used with the incense he makes three confessions of sins (for himself, for himself and his house, for Israel); 10 times in all he utters the name of Jehovah; 43 times he sprinkles; in addition he must read certain sections of the Scriptures or repeat them from memory.  When he returns home he celebrates a festival of rejoicing, because he has without harm been able to leave the sanctuary.  In addition, he had performed severe physical work, and especially difficult was the manipulation of the incense.”

Unger’s Bible Dictionary, by Merrill F Unger, pages 358-359 –

“…the day appointed for a yearly, general, and perfect expiation for all the sins and uncleanness which might remain, despite the regular sacrifices.”

“Even with the most scrupulous observance of the prescribed ordinances many sins and defilements would still remain unacknowledged, and therefore without expiation.”

“Thus on the Day of Atonement Israel was reconciled to Jehovah, which was necessary before the Feast of Tabernacles, which prefigured the ingathering of all nations.  In connection with this point it may also be well to remember that the Jubilee year was always proclaimed on the Day of Atonement.”

“The day was a high Sabbath, on which no work was done; and all the people were to afflict their souls, i.e., to fast (from the evening of the 9th to the evening of the 10th), under penalty of being cut off from Israel.”

“The question how often the high priest on this day went into the holy of holies is not of great importance.  The biblical account seems to indicate that he entered four times:  1.  With the incense, while a priest continued to agitate the blood of the bullock lest it should coagulate; 2. With the blood of the bullock; 3.  With the blood of the goat; 4. To bring the censer, which, according to the Talmud, was done after the afternoon sacrifice.”

“Modern observance.  The strict Jews, on the day previous to the Day of Atonement, provide a cock which is slain by an inferior rabbi; the person whose property it is then takes the fowl by the legs, swings it over the heads of himself and company, and at the same time prays to God that the sins committed by them during the year may enter the fowl.  This fowl seems to be a substitute for the scapegoat of old.  In the evening, after a sumptuous repast, they go to the synagogue dressed in their best.  After a blessing by the clerk each contributes toward the free gift offering, after which begins the evening prayer, the reader, the chief rabbi, and many of the congregation clad with the shroud in which they are to be buried, continuing in prayer and supplication for upward of three hours.  Some remain all night, and those who go to their homes come again in the morning at five o’clock and remain until dark.”

The Torah:  A Modern Commentary, edited by W Gunther Plaut –

From pages 858-859 --  “This holy day as we know it was created by the Jewish people in the past two thousand years…. One may well feel disappointed when reading in Leviticus, chapter 16, the outline of a complicated sacrificial service performed by the High Priest on behalf of the community, with the people as passive spectators.  At the end of the chapter – almost as an afterthought – they are commanded to fast and abstain from work on the sacred day, but nothing is said about inner contrition, self-discipline, or higher standards of conduct.  For this reason, the leaders of Reform Judaism replaced this chapter, the traditional Torah reading for Yom Kippur morning, by selections from Deuteronomy, chapters 29 and 30, which they deemed more appropriate.”

 “The Day of Atonement appears in the Bible only in the priestly writings.”

Sacred Origins of Profound Things, by Charles Panati, pages 229-230 –

“The Day of Atonement is marked by abstention from food, drink, and sex and forbids anointing with oil and the wearing of leather shoes.  Confession of sins is accompanied by prayers of supplication for forgiveness, friends mutually request and accept forgiveness for offenses, since God’s forgiveness is signified by the obtaining of forgiveness of one’s fellow men.  The efficacy of Yom Kippur depends on one’s sincerity or repentance.”

“It is a day to be spent largely in a synagogue.  No Jew should work or transact business.  The fast is absolute; not even water may be taken from sundown to sundown.  The persons excused from this severe fasting are the sick (and only if they ask to be excused) and children less than nine years old.”

“Scapegoat.  In ancient times, the high priest performed an elaborate sacrificial ceremony in the Temple, successively confessing his own sins, the sins of other priests, and the sins of all Israel.  Clothed in white linen, he then entered the Holy of Holies (the only time of the year when this was allowed) to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifices – a bull and a goat – and to offer incense.”

“The ceremony concluded when a second sacrificial goat, the ‘scapegoat,’ symbolically carrying the sins of the nation, was ‘driven to his death in the wilderness.’  Actually, the priest led the scapegoat along a secret causeway, one designed to guard the procession from sabotage by heathens and rival sects, while the congregants chanted, ‘Hurry!  Go!’  The priest ushered the scapegoat to the end of a precipice, from which it was pushed to its death – symbolically carrying with it the sins of the nation.”

“All of these brutal but picturesque rituals ceased with the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E.  The rituals and sacrifices were replaced with prayer, supplication, and penitence.  It was then that the personal character of the Day of Atonement achieved primary importance.  The focus of the holiday shifted from the high priest and the Temple to the synagogue, and the principal performers were the members of the community itself.”

“Most important, the concept of repentance, the actual mending of one’s behavior, took precedence over all other acts of atonement.  The ritual of the Day of Atonement was insufficient to clear a person of his or her sins without a change in one’s actions.”

Judaism For Dummies, published by Hungry Minds --

Page 223 – “Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (which follows ten days later) are together called the ‘High Holidays.’  They are among the most important and holiest days of the Jewish year.  For over 2,000 years, the High Holidays have been celebrated as a time for judgment, remembrance, and teshuvah (‘return’ or ‘repentance’).  While every other holiday commemorates a transition in nature or a historic event, the High Holidays don’t – they focus on people and their relationship with God.”

Page 232 – “The period of teshuvah (‘return’ or ‘repentance’) lasts 40 days, from the first of Elul to Yom Kippur.  While most Jews tend to focus on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the days between them are in some ways just as important.  These days, along with the High Holidays, are called the Yamin Nora’im (‘Days of Awe’) or Aseret Y’mai Teshuvah (‘Ten Days of Repentance’).”

Gates of the Seasons, edited by Peter S Knobel –

Pages 39-40 – “It is a mitzvah to prepare for the Days of Awe during the preceding month of Elul.  Special penitential prayers called Selichot are added to the daily liturgy.”

 “Since proper preparation includes serious reflection and self-exam, it is important to set aside regular periods of time for contemplation and study.”

“It is customary to visit the graves of relatives during the month of Elul and during the Ten Days of Repentance.  Through such visits, links to preceding generations are reinforced, and by contemplating the virtues of the deceased and their devotion to faith and people, we find strength.”

“It is a mitzvah to express one’s personal repentance (Teshuvah) on Rosh Hoshonoh.  According to the traditional symbolism, God sits in the judgment of the world on Rosh Hoshonoh.  Through repentance (Teshuvah), prayer (Tefilah), and charity (Tzedakah), one begins moving towards reconciliation with God and other human beings.  This process reaches its climax on Yom Kippur.”

Pages 45-46 – “Jewish tradition teaches that Yom Kippur makes atonement only for those sins which we commit against God, but it does not atone for those sins which we commit against other human beings unless we first attempt to make amends and seek their forgiveness.”

Festivals of the Jewish Year, by Theodor H Gaster, pages 124-125 –

“On New Year, it is said, God opens three books.  The first contains the names of the virtuous and pious, who are inscribed forthwith for life and blessing during the ensuing twelve months.  The second contains the names of the irremediably wicked and impious; these are inscribed forthwith for death and disaster.  In the third, however, are written the names of the ‘betwixt-and-betweens’; these are given a chance to determine their own fates, for the record is not sealed until twilight on Yom Kippur.”

“The Ten Days of Penitence are not formally prescribed in the Bible…”

Judaism For Dummies, published by Hungry Minds –

Page 236 – “Yom Kippur, the tenth of the month Tishrei, is perhaps the most cathartic, holy, and emotional day of the Jewish year (it’s celebrated for only one day, even outside of Israel).  It’s a non-stop day of prayer and meditation that can rattle and inspire the Jewish soul in a way that no other holiday seems to do.”

Page 237 – “Jewish tradition identifies three stages in the process of forgiveness, whether you are being forgiven or you are forgiving others.  The steps are identified by the words s’lichah (‘forgiveness’), m’chilah (‘letting go’), and kapparah (‘atonement’).  Forgiveness begins with the conscious intention to forgive.  But if the process ends there, the feelings of guilt or resentment reappear when you least expect them.  Letting go means, ‘I no longer need the past to have been any different than it was.’  At this stage, you may remember the pain, but you are no longer consumed either with guilt or resentment.  With atonement, you can accomplish something positive that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible.  You still remember, and you still may feel the pain, but the act of atonement transforms the pain into a blessing.”

Page 238 – “While Yom Kippur is traditionally the last day to atone, Judaism ultimately says that the doors of repentance are open all the time – it’s never too late.  But if there wasn’t at least a symbolic deadline, would anyone ever really get around to it?”

“Most Jewish holidays are distinguished by what you are supposed to do; Yom Kippur, however, is famous for what you’re not supposed to do.  Tradition states that on this day Jews should refrain from bathing luxuriously (though necessary washing with cold water to remove dirt is okay), anointing themselves with perfume or moisturizers, having sex, wearing leather (the soles of shoes, specifically, though some Jews don’t wear any leather), and – probably the most commonly observed restriction – eating and drinking.  Of course, because Yom Kippur is also considered like Shabbat, all the regular Shabbat restrictions apply.”

Page 240 – “The name of the opening Yom Kippur service – Kol Nidre (pronounced ‘kohl nee-DRAY’), considered one of the highlights of an observant Jew’s year – is named after a portion of liturgy which is sung during the service.  Strangely, its lyrics read more like a legal contract than a prayer.  In fact, the Kol Nidre is a legal document.  (Jewish law states that legal proceedings must be taken care of during daylight hours, which is why the Kol Nidre service traditionally begins while there’s still light in the sky.)”

“… here’s a translation:
   
    “All vows and oaths, all promises and obligations, all renunciations and responses, that we shall make from this Yom Kippur till the next – may it come to us in peace – all of them we retract. 

May we be absolved of them all, may we be released from them all, may they all be null and void, 

May they all be of no effect.  May these vows not be vows, may these oaths not be oaths, may these responses not be responses.”

“Originally these words related to the vows made under duress, like during the forced conversions to Christianity.  Now, these words recognize that you can’t always keep the promises you make to yourself or to God.”

To Be A Jew, by Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin, pages 247-249 –

“The Torah specifies that the fast is to begin on the ninth day, so that fasting on Yom Kippur actually begins before sundown while it is still light.  It does not conclude till the evening of the next day.  By ‘the evening’ is not means sundown, but rather nightfall when the stars appear, which is somewhat later.  How much later depends on the geographical latitude.”

“The Biblical commandment to ‘afflict your souls’ is observed by a complete and total fast, by abstaining from all eating and drinking for the entire period (approximately twenty-five hours).”

 “The wearing of white on Yom Kippur – white clothes, white robe (kitel), white skullcap – is a time-honored custom intended to recall the white robes (takhrikhim) in which the dead are buried, and thus to mellow the heart of the worshipper.  White also represents purity and symbolizes the Prophetic promise:  ‘Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow’ (Isaiah 1:18).”

Dictionary of Judaism in the Biblical Period, Jacob Neusner, Editor in Chief, page 684 --

"Yom Kippur  (Day of Atonement) holy day falling on the tenth of Tishrei and observed by fasting, prayer, repentance, and confession.  The Temple rites are described in Leviticus 16.  After the destruction of the Temple, day-long synagogue prayer became the principal observance of the penitential day."

Everyman's Talmud, Abraham Cohen, page 165 --

"Especially early in the Talmudic period, when the Temple was still standing, the arrangement of marriages was not unattended by romance.  There is a record which informs us:  'The Israelites had no happier days than the fifteenth of Ab and the Day of Atonement, when the sons of Jerusalem used to go out dressed in white garments which were borrowed, so as not to put to shame anybody who did not possess his sown.  The daughters of Jerusalem would go out and dance in the vineyards, crying, "Young man, raise your eyes and see whom you will choose for your wife.  Pay not attention to beauty, but rather to family".' (Taan.iv.8)."

Jewish Days, Francine Klagsbrun, pages 36-37 --

"Another cause for happiness on this sacred day was its position in early times as the occasion for announcing a jubilee year.  In that year - every fiftieth according to biblical counting - slaves and bonded servants were set free and lands returned to their ancestral owners.  'You shall proclaim liberty throughout the land.' (Leviticus 25:10).  Scripture declares of the jubilee year, the proclamation to be made with a great blast of the shofar on the Day of Atonement."

"The mixture of joy and solemnity that characterizes Yom Kippur has its counterpart in the mixture of ritual observance and ethical teaching that gives the holiday its meaning and texture."

"Ritual is prevalent throughout.  The festival centers on the synagogue - there are no home customs after the final meal on the eve of Yom Kippur - and the sequences of prayers and poems are the largest of any during the year.  Fully ten times, beginning on the holiday eve, congregants recite a formal confessional, an alphabetical listing of sins.  The Torah portions of the day concern ceremonies and regulations, including sacrifices brought to the Temple and rules of sexual behavior.  (Rabbis like to say that the latter are included to perk peope up in the midst of so much prayer.)"

"Capping it all is the high priest's Avodah service, a dramatic expansion of the morning's Torah reading.  Through the prayer book, worshippers reenact the high priest's activity as he entered the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctum of the ancient Temple.  Only he was permitted into that sanctuary and only on one day of the year, Yom Kippur.  With sacrifices and prayer he made atonement for himself, other priests and all the people of Israel."

"In one of the most powerful moments of the ceremony, the high priest symbolically transferred the sins of the nation onto a scapegoat chosen by lot.  He would bind a thead of crimson wool around the goat's horns, lay his hands on its head, and confess the people's transgressions.  A priest would then lead the goat off to the wilderness of Azazel.  The Talmud relates that when the goat reached Azazel, another thread of crimson tied to the Temple entrance would turn white, a sign that the sins had been forgiven, in keeping with the verse, 'Be your sins like crimson,/ They can turn snow-white' (Isaiah 1:18).  Later that Temple thread was discontinued because the people would become despondent if it remained crimson."

QUESTIONS

How much of what you've read so far is found in Scripture?  And how much is what the rabbis decided and taught and changed?  Don’t some questions come to mind when you read about these customs?  Questions such as –

1. Where does it say in Scripture that there is to be a public commemoration of the dead?Where in Scripture does it mention visiting the graves of family during this time?
2. Where in Scripture do we find “teshuvah”, specifically for this time?
3. Where in Scripture do we find a 40-day plan for repentance?
4. Where in Scripture do we find the “ten days of awe”?
5. Where is the Scripture referencing partial fasts on each of the days between Trumpets and Atonement, except for the Sabbath and the day before the high day?
6. Where in Scripture does it mention a rooster swung over the head in place of the scapegoat?
7. Where in Scripture does it say that you are to dress in your burial shroud to observe Atonement?
8. Where in Scripture does it say that the man who leads the scapegoat into the wilderness is to push it over a cliff?
9. Where in Scripture does it mention girls dancing and attracting suitors on Atonement?
10. Where in Scripture does it mention any version (or even the idea) of Kol Nidre?
11. Do we find anything in Scripture about a crimson thread on the scapegoat's horns or at  the top of the Temple entrance?

SCRIPTURES

(The Scriptures quoted are from The Interlinear Bible, a literal translation by Jay P. Green, Sr., as general editor and translator, with the transliterated Hebrew names of the Father and Son, Yahweh and Yahshua.)
(Word definitions and numbers are taken from the Hebrew and Greek dictionaries in The New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, James Strong, LL.D., S.T.D.)

Yahweh gave detailed instructions for the High Priest and the ceremonies for   the Day of Atonement.  They are found in Leviticus 16:2-28.  This day was to be the only time each year that the High Priest entered into the sanctuary.  Beforehand, he was to do specific cleansings and offerings, including a sin offering of a bullock for himself and his family.  He was going to make atonement for the nation.  He was to kill a goat for the sin offering of the people.  Then he would take a second, live goat, lay hands on it, confessing the sins of the people.  It would be led into the wilderness and released.

Today there is no High Priest in a temple to carry out those duties.  But there are a few verses of that chapter that do give some instructions for the people.

Leviticus 16:29-31   29-And it shall be for a never-ending statute, in the seventh month, in the tenth of the month, you shall humble yourself and do no work, the native, and the alien who is staying in your midst.  30-For on this day he shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you from all your sins; you shall be clean before Yahweh.  31-It is a sabbath of rest to you, and you shall humble yourself; it is a never-ending statute.

Leviticus 23:26-32   26-And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying  27-Also, on the tenth of this seventh month shall be a day of atonement; you shall have a holy gathering, and you shall humble yourselves, and shall bring a fire offering to Yahweh.  28-And you shall do no work in this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before Yahweh your Elohim.  29-For any person who is not humbled in this same day shall be cut off from his people.  30-And any person who does any work in this same day, I shall even destroy that person from the midst of his people.  31-You shall do no work; it is a never-ending statute throughout your generations, in all your dwellings.  32-It is a sabbath of rest to you and you shall humble yourselves in the ninth of the month at evening; from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath.”

The timing is very specific.  It begins at sunset ending the ninth day of the seventh month and is over at the sunset at the end of the tenth day of the month.  Remember:  Yahweh’s days begin and end at sunset, not at dawn or midnight.

Numbers 29:7   And on the tenth of this seventh month you shall have a holy gathering; you shall do no work of service, and you shall humble your souls.

Traditionally people have fasted on this day, though the word isn’t there in the Scripture.  In verse 29, the word is to “humble” yourself.  That word is #6031, anah.  It means to depress, literally or figuratively; to abase or afflict yourself.

The next two references help to expand the meaning.

Psalms 35:13 But in their sickness, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fastings; and my prayer returned to my bosom.

The word “humbled” here is the same anah, mentioned above.  “Fastings” is #6684, tsuwm, meaning to cover over (the mouth), i.e. to fast.

Isaiah 58:3, 5    3-They say, why have we fasted, and you did not see?  We have afflicted our soul, and you did not acknowledge…  5-Is this like the fast I will choose, a day for a man to afflict his soul?  To bow his head down like a bulrush, and he spreads sackcloth and ashes?  Will you call to this as a fast, and a day of delight to Yahweh?

They afflicted themselves how?  With fasting.  Without food and/or drink.  Like Moses did?

Exodus 34:28 And he was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread and he did not drink water…

Deuteronomy 9:9 When I went up into the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, tablets of the covenant which Yahweh cut with you, and I remained in the mountain forty days and forty night, I did not eat bread nor did I drink water.

In recent years, there have been arguments from some who say that "afflict your soul" has nothing to do with fasting.  Instead, they center on the translation of "humble yourself." 

So  exactly how does one do that?  They claim it involves being subdued, with the head hung down, being quiet.  It involves a visible, outward change in their behavior.  Just as the Jews who did not anoint their head, wear leather shoes, take a bath, etc.  All that had to do with the outward appearance.

What did Yahshua say?

Matthew 6:16-18   16-And when you fast, do not be as the hypocrites, darkening the face, for they disfigure their faces so that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Truly I say to you that they have their reward.  17-But you in fasting, anoint your head and wash your face.  18-So as not to appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father in secret; and your Father seeing in secret will repay you in the open.

This does not mention Atonement directly, but why would it not apply there as well?  Remember, on that day they would be coming before your Maker on a specific day set apart to be reconciled to Him.  Wouldn't it be even more important than a fast chosen whenever someone wanted?

A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, Robert Jamieson, A R Fausset, and David Brown, volume 5, page 42, regarding Matthew 6:16-17 --

"Having concluded His supplementary directions on the subject of Prayer with this divine Pattern, our Lord now returns to the subject of Unostentatiousness in our deeds of righteousness, in order to give one more illustration of it, in the matter of Fasting.  16.  Moreover, when ye fast -- referring, probably, to private and voluntary fasting, which was to be regulated by each individual for himself; though in spirit it would apply to any fast.  be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance:  for they disfigure their faces - lit., 'make unseen;' very well rendered 'disfigure.'  They went about with a slovenly appearance, and ashes sprinkiled on their head.  that they may appear unto men to fast.  It was not the deed, but reputation for the deed which they sought; and with this view those hypocrites multiplied their fasts. ... Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.    17. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face - as the Jews did, except when mourning (Dan. x.3); so that the meaning is, 'Appear as usual' - appear so as to attract no notice."

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, Matthew Henry, volume 5, pages 62-62, regarding Matthew 6:16-17 --

"It was not the Pharisee's fasting twice in the week, but his boasting of it, that Christ condemned, Luke 18:12."

"Private fasting is supposed, I Cor. 7:5.  It is an act of self-denial, and mortification of the flesh, a holy revenge upon ourselves, and humiliation under the hand of God. ... It is a means to curb the flesh and the desires of it, and to make us more lively in religious exercises, as fulness of bread is apt to make us drowsy."

"Now, 1.  The hypocrites pretended fasting, when there was nothing of that contrition or humiliation of soul in them, which is the life and soul of the duty. ... The fast that God has chosen, is a day to afflict the soul, not to hang down the head like a bulrush, nor for a man to spread sackcloth and ashes under him; we are quite mistaken if we call this a fast, Isa. 58:5." (EMPHASIS ADDED)

"2.  They proclaimed their fasting, and managed it so that all who saw them might take notice that it was a fasting-day with them.  Even on these days they appeared on the streets, whereas they should have been in their closets; and they affected a downcast look, a melancholy countenance, a slow and solemn pace; and perfectly disfigured themselves, that men might see how often they fasted, and might extol them as devout, mortified men."

"Christ does not direct to abate any thing of the reality of the fast; he does not say, 'take a little meat, or a little drink, or a little cordial;' no, 'let the body suffer, but lay aside the show and appearance of it; appear with thy ordinary countenance, guise, and dress, and while thou deniest thyself thy bodily refreshments, do it so as that it may not be taken notice of, no, not by those that are nearest to thee; look pleasant, anoint thine head and wash thy face, as thou dost on ordinary days."

Atonement was the one day a year that the high priest entered the sanctuary.  It was the day that he was to make atonement for the people:  a day in which the people would be reconciled to Yahweh.

What is one way to be reconciled to Yahweh?  To reach out to Him?

Joel 2:12-13   12-Yet even not turn to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning, declares Yahweh.  13-Yea, tear your heart and not your robes; and turn to Yahweh your Elohim.  For He is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He pities concerning the evil.

Leviticus 25:8-12   8-And you shall number to yourself seven sabbaths of years, seven years times seven, and all the days of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years.  9-And you shall cause an alarm, the ram’s horn to pass over in the seventh month, in the tenth of the month, in the day of atonement shall pass over a ram’s horn throughout all your land; 10-and you shall make holy the fiftieth year; and you shall proclaim liberty in the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee to you, and you shall return every man to his possession; yea, you shall turn back each to his family.  11-It is a jubilee, the fiftieth year; it is a year to you; you shall not sow, nor reap that which grows of itself, nor gather from its unkept vines.  12-For it is a jubilee, it is holy to you; you shall eat its increase out of the field.

Just think where we could be today if we had kept these ordinances.  There would be no national debt or families in financial trouble with credit card debt.  Those who had serious setbacks or went bankrupt could eventually reclaim their land.  The count of years started when they entered the land.  But we have lost track of that at this time.  No one knows for sure when the next jubilee year is to be.

One of the references quoted said that “The Day of Atonement appears in the Bible only in the priestly writings.”  For Judaism, that means the Old Testament only.  But what about this statement by Paul?

Acts 27:9 And much time having passed, and the voyage already being dangerous, because the Fast already had gone by…

The word “fast” is Strongs #3521, nesteia, meaning abstinence (from lack of food); specifically, the fast of the Day of Atonement

DAY OF ATONEMENT TODAY

Since the temple was destroyed and the people were scattered, there has been no priesthood to carry out the duties listed for him.  And the need for sacrifices ended with the death and resurrection of Messiah. 

Hebrews 9:11-15   11-But Messiah having appeared as a High Priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, 12-nor through the blood of goats and of calves, but through His own blood He entered once for all into the Holies, having procured everlasting redemption.  13-For if the blood of bulls and goats, and ashes of a heifer sprinkling those having been defiled, sanctifies to the purity of the flesh, 14-by how much more the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal spirit offered Himself without spot to Yahweh, will purify your conscience from dead works for the serving of the living Yahweh.  15-And because of this He is mediator of a new covenant, so that, death having occurred for redemption of transgressions under the first covenant, those having been called out might receive the promise of the everlasting inheritance.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

• ·    Atonement is an appointed time of Yahweh.
• ·    It is holy, or set-apart time.
• ·    There is to be an assembly.
• ·    It is a time to worship Yahweh.
• ·    We are to afflict our bodies – with prayer and fasting as we understand it today. 

Rev 03/04/14
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