All About Yom Kippur

by Dani'el Rendelman of Emet Ministries

 www.emetministries.com

MEMBER OF UNION OF TWO HOUSE MESSIANIC  CONGREGATIONS

It seems that the first thing a child learns is to say is "a, b, c."  A,B,C is the basic foundation of the English language.  Here is some basic information on the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur.  This teaching is in no way exhaustive yet is provided to give a basic understanding of this holy day.  With this informative guide, understanding the feasts of the scriptures is as easy as A, B, C.

A     - All about the festival, a simple overview

B     - Biblical references concerning the holy day

C    - Celebration information on how to make the day special

A All about the festival

v    Yom Kippur literally means “day of atonement” or “day of covering”

v    Is on the tenth day of the seventh month and recalls the ten words given to Israel, ten is the number of judgment in the Scriptures

v    Called the “Shabbat Shabbatot,” the Sabbath of Sabbaths

v    It is believed that on this day Adam and Chava originally sinned and Yahweh sacrificed animals as the blood atonement for the remission of sins, it was these animal skins that Yahweh clothed Adam and Chava

v    Is said to be the highest holy day of the year, often called “The Day”

v    The teshuvah that began on Yom Teruah and continued through the Ten Days of Awe is sealed and brings regeneration on this day

v    On this day a service took place in the Temple/Tabernacle that was all about the HaCohen HaGadol, the “high priest”

v    On this day the HaCohen HaGadol would enter the Most Holy Place and make blood atonement for himself, the priesthood and temple, and all of Israel

v    The Sages teach that the fate of each person for the new year is sealed on this day of teshuvah

v    Though fasting is not specially commanded in the Bible to happen on this day, from the early times Rabbis have interpreted the biblical command to “afflict yourself” as to fast (for 25 hours)

v    “The High Priest shall bring a bull and two goats as a special offering.  First the bull is sacrificed to [purge the shrine from any defilements caused my the misdeeds of the priest and his household.  Secondly, one of the goats is chosen to be sacrificed to purge the shrine of any similar defilement stimulated by misdeeds of the whole house of Israel.  Finally, the second goat is sent away, not sacrificed, to cleanse the people themselves.  The goat is marked for “Azazel” and is sent to wonder in the wilderness.  Before the goat is sent out, the high priest lays both his hands upon its head and confesses over it all the iniquities and transgressions of the Israelites, and so putting them on the head of the scapegoat,” from The Seven Festivals of the Messiah by Eddie Chumney

v    The returning of the sin to the Azazel is symbolic of returning sin back to the evil inclination/the adversary.  And just as the Azazel goat was sent into the wilderness, the Adversary (may his name be blotted out) will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20.)

v    Tradition says that a cord of red wool was tied on the horn of the scapegoat and on the temple door, if the strip turned white then the people would know their sins were forgiven.  If the cord did not turn white then Israel would mourn because their sins were not atoned on that day.

v    In the Mishnah it is written that the glory of Yahweh left the Temple forty years before it was destroyed (at the same time of Yahshua’s death, resurrection and intercession as the HaCohen HaGadol).  These three things are:

1.     The western candles of the Menorah refused to burn

2.     The doors of the Temple would open themselves and not shut

3.     The red wool that was supposed to turn white stayed crimson red

v    The Rabbis of Judaism teach that it was on this day, Yom Kippur, that Ya’acov heard from his sons of Yoseph’s death.  Accordingly the brothers of Yoseph took the coat of many colors and dipped it in the blood of a goat.

v    It is also taught in the Aggadah that on this day the second tablets of the Torah were given to Moshe and that this is the day of Avraham’s circumcision and the day of the “Akediah” or the binding of Yitz’chak.

v    The Mishnah says, “For the sins between man and Elohim, the Day of Atonement effects atonement, but for the sins between man and his fellow, the Day of Atonement will effect atonement only if he has appeased his fellow.”

 B    Biblical references

v    “The He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him. He also tied the ephod to him by its skillfully woven waistband; so it was fastened on him.  He placed the breastpiece on him and put the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece.  Then he placed the turban on Aaron’s head and set the gold plate, the sacred diadem, on the front of it, as Yahweh commanded Moses,” Leviticus 8:7

v    ^“Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them.  The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe.  Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before  Yahweh and when he comes out, so that he will not die,” Exodus 28:33-35

v    “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work—whether native-born or an alien living among you—because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before Yahweh, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance. The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the community.  This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelite,” Leviticus 16:29-31

v    “Yahweh said to Moses, “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement.  Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to Yahweh by fire. Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before Yahweh your God.  Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people. I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on that day. You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. It is a Sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your Sabbath,” Leviticus 23:26-32

v    “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work—whether native-born or an alien living among you—because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before Yahweh, you will be clean from all your sins.  It is a Sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.  The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the community.  This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.  And it was done, as Yahweh commanded Moses,” Leviticus 16:29-34

v    The entire chapter of Leviticus 16

v    “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life,” Leviticus 17:11

v    “Count off seven Sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven Sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines.  For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields,” Leviticus 25:8-10

v   “‘On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work. Present as an aroma pleasing to Yahweh a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths; and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth.  Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering for atonement and the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings,” Numbers 29:7-11 

v   “Even now,” declares Yahweh, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”  Rend your heart and not your garments.  Return to Yahweh your Elohim, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.  Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing—grain offerings and drink offerings for Yahweh your Elohim.  Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.  Gather the people,          consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast.  Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber,” Joel 2:14-16

v   “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by Elohim, smitten by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all,” Isaiah 53:4-6

v   “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?  Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?  Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of Yahweh will be your rear guard.  Then you will call, and Yahweh will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I,” Isaiah 58:6-9

v   The entire chapter of Isaiah 58

v    “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.  On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.  The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, and all the rest of the clans and their wives,” Zechariah 12:10-13

v    “Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting.  When my prayers returned to me unanswered,” Psalm 35:13

v    “For if, when we were Elohim’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in Elohim through our Adon Yahshua HaMoshiach, through whom we have now received reconciliation,” Romans 10:10-11

v    “For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to Elohim, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted,” Hebrews 2:17-18

v    “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness,” Hebrews 9:22

v    “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of Elohim is eternal life,” Romans 3:23

v    “Yahshua the Messiah, the Righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world,” 1 John 2:2

v    ^“This is love: not that we loved Elohim, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins,” 1 John 4:10

v    “Elohim presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Yahshua,” Romans 3:25-26

C    Celebration information

v    While most biblical holy days are full of things for people to do, Yom Kippur is about what you don’t do

v    This is a Shabbat, so work is forbidden on this day

v    The Sages have taught that the way to “afflict your souls” is to withhold from five things: eating and drinking, bathing, martial relations, wearing leather, and anointing your body.

v    The Hebrew phrase for “afflict your souls” is “inul nefesh.”  The word “nefesh” is translated in several verses as “soul” and in several verses as “appetite.”  This is where we learn to afflict our appetites on this day.  See: Proverbs 23,2-3 Psalms 107,9 Proverbs 27,7 Isaiah 56,11

v    The Rabbis teach that the fast is for everyone except those pregnant or nursing and children under 13.  It is also not recommended by the Rabbinics for people in poor health to completely fast.

v    People are not punished by this fast, by this denial of food, rather this is a freeing time of “deva’choot” or “cleaving” to Yahweh.  It is a time that we can remember that “man shall not live by bread alone but from every word that comes from the mouth of Yahweh.”

v    It has become a tradition to have a festive meal at home with family before the fast is to begin and then place a white tablecloth on the table.  The white cloth will remind everyone of the holiness of the fast.  Before the meal the festival candles are lit.  The Encyclopedia Judaica says, “One should eat and drink well on the eve of the Day not merely to prepare for the fast but also to fulfill the command to rejoice in and honor the festive day.”

v    Other people also refrain from wearing jewelry, brushing teeth, or anything that would bring pleasure to the mouth or the body.

v   It is recommended to read Devarim (Deuteronomy) 29:9-30:30 while fasting.

v   To dress in white is customary on this day, to be remindful of the purity of atonement, “Come now, let us reason together,” says Yahweh. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool,” Isaiah 1:18

v    Many synagogues and worship centers are open all day for prayer on Yom Kippur.

v    The Rabbis teach that on this day the fate of the world is sealed for the coming year in the book of life.

v    It is recommended to cut down on caffeine and sugar before fasting and also to break the fast with light foods.  Perhaps you could break the fast with some good matzah ball soup or break the fast with some breakfast!

v    The traditional greeting on this day is “gemar hatimah tovah” which means “may you be sealed in the book of life for good.”

v    At the end of the fast many believers go directly out and begin building their sukkah, or at least nail two pieces of wood together as symbolic building of the sukkah.

v    One person once said, “Yom Kippur is like a prayer before a meal.  The meal is the whole year to come.  So just as you would not eat during a blessing, you do not eat Yom Kippur.”

v    Yom Kippur is a day to pray and fast not just pray fast!

v    At the end of the Yom Kippur services, many synagogues blast the shofar one last time, called the “Tekiah gedulah.”  This one last long blow of the shofar is to alert people that Yom Kippur is over and the book of life is now sealed.

v   “Neilah” is the traditional Jewish service at the end of Yom Kippur.  The Jewish belief is that the gates of heaven close at this service and that those who have observed this day have been inscribed in the book of life.  It is during this service that the tekiah gedulah is sounded.  For many Jews atonement comes from the day while Biblically atonement comes from the shed blood of the Messiah Yahshua.