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Leviticus 23:27-32, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for everthroughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest [Hebrew: "sabbath of sabbaths," indicating that Atonement is a Sabbath of paramount importance], and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate [rest] your sabbath.

Origin

After the Ten Commandments were given to Israel on Pentecost, Moses ascended Mt. Sinai and remained there 40 days to receive the Tablets of law. Mose descended from the Mount with the Tables of Law written by the hands of God on the 17th of Tammuz and broke the Tablets in anger because the people worshipped the Golden Calf. For forty days Moses set up his tent beyond the camp of Israel, and the people mourned. On the 1st of Elul (sixth month), Moses ascended again on to the mountain to receive the Second set of Tablets. During this period the Hebrews fasted daily from sunrise to sunset. On the 40th day they fasted from sunset to sunset. This was Tishri 10. On the morning of the 10th,  Moses came down with the tablets in his hands.  All Israel wept with a loud cry and Moses also  wept when he saw their repentance. Then God said, "Your repentance is accepted, and this day will remain the Day of Atonement throughout all generations." -- Tanna Eliyahu Zuta, 4

"Sabbath of Sabbaths"

We have seen that Pentecost followed the Sabbath of Weeks (7 weeks after Passover) and was the Jubilee of days (50 days after passover). The Day of atonement is in the Sabbath of months ( 7th month) . The whole month is a sabbath. It is a time for introspection, self-correction and prayer.

 

Kippur

Kippurim and Kapparah mean "to scour," "to cleanse thoroughly," "to ease," or "to cover, hide out of sight." Jewish prayer skull cap is well known. In the Espiscopal churches, Bishops wear a head covering as they enter altar and at special occassions indicative of the presence of God during intercession etc. Chassidic and Orthodox Jews have their heads covered at all times, except whilst in bed. The skullcap is called a yarmulke, kippah or kippur or covering. Yom Kippur literally means "Day of Covering."

The Day of Atonement emphazises:

  1. that sin is real and must be taken seriously

  2. that God, covers sin, and God alone can cover sin and

  3. that such pardon does not come unless man does something -- repents with fasting, rends his heart and receive the pardon for himself. Fasting and other external actions do not in themselves lead to a pardon. There is no magic in rituals. There has to be a surrendering.

What is sin? There are three Hebrew terms for sin:

(1) Pesha means rebellion. It is the attitude of mind in which a man sets himself up as the sole judge of his actions, recognizing neither God nor His law. Pesha signifies the refusal of man to consider himself accountable to God for his actions. By this man makes himself equal to God.

(2) Avon comes from a root meaning "to be twisted," or "to be crooked - to take something which is righteous and good and uses for evil. This is a distortion of truth. God is the only reality. God is Truth. So any deviation from the direction of motion towards God which has a component away from God is sin.

(3) Het comes from a root meaning "to miss," used, for instance, when an archer fails to hit the target. This is the usual meaning given by most people. We cannot meet the standards of God. Anything short of that is sin. In this case no one can meet that standard except God alone. This God provides as a cover. This is the function of Meisah. Only the blood of Jesus can cover sin. In practical terms Het denotes lack of character or inability to stray in the ways of righteousness.

Teshubah, the Hebrew word for repentance, therefore means "turning back" or correction. It involves, according to Jews, (1) contrition for the sin committed and (2) firm resolve not to repeat it. This is the negative aspect of it. The positive aspect is the power to remain in the course. This power cannot come from within man. It comes from God himself, which we believe is given by the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.

The severity of sin is emphasized in the way God dealt with the sons of Aaron and by the way God required the high priest to enter into His Presence.

Heb. 9: 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.

This day was the day of Atonement.

 

Lev.16:1 The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD.

2 The LORD said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.

3 "This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

4 He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on.

5 From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

6 "Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household.

7 Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

8 He is to cast lots for the two goats--one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat.

9 Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering.

10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat.

11 "Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering.

12 He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain.

13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the Testimony, so that he will not die.

14 He is to take some of the bull's blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.

15 "He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull's blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it.

16 In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

17 No one is to be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.

18 "Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and put it on all the horns of the altar.

19 He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

20 "When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat.

21 He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites--all their sins--and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task.

22 The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert.

23 "Then Aaron is to go into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there.

24 He shall bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his regular garments. Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people.

25 He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

26 "The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.

27 The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; their hides, flesh and offal are to be burned up.

28 The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.

29 "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--

30 because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins.

31 It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.

Going into the holy of holies came to be restricted to the day of Atonement. While the bull was the atonement for the personal sins of the High Priest who has to enter in white linen robes as opposed to his High Priestly robes and the sacrifice of two goats are made.

Two goats

Why are there two goats, one a sacrifice on the altar, and one scapegoat for Azazel? The traditional jewish explanation is the that goats represent Esau and Jacob, or the wicked and the righteous. Every person with their freedom to choose can select their ways. Choosing to be the sacrifice at the altar for God for the remission of sin of many or escape the alter to be released into the wilderness only to be ravaged by wild beasts and killed without purpose. "Az" means "impudent." "Azal" means "departed." The choice of every person is presented here in allegory. It was also a constant warning to Israel that if they become impudent and disobedient, they will like th scapegoat left to wander in exile . (Abrabanel, Ahare)

The ultimate sacrifice for the sins of mankind was Jesus. Then two goats were chosen by the world in the persons of Jesus and of Bar-Abbas. And the lot fell for Jesus as the choice sacrifice at the altar. The other representing human attempts to liberation was released with no effect.

There are varying interpretations given to the second goat.

View 1: The "scapegoat" represents Satan the Devil who will have the sins of all mankind placed on him since he is the author and father of sin. He is then sent by an angel into the wilderness forever. This explanation however is a scapegoat explanation by putting the blame for the sins of every man on Satan. Satan or no Satan, the responsibility for the sin remain with man. I also indicate somehow that Satan finally died for the sins of mankind. If he did it will not bring redemption.

View 2: The "azazel" goat represents another aspect of Jesus Christ. Christ was both Man and God. The God aspect was sacrificed at the altar. Human aspect carried the sins of all mankind and paid the price wilderness experience.

View 3: Other interpret that the first goat represents faithful Christians and the second goat represents those who left the faith and had to go through the Great Tribulation.

Kaparot ritual

Before the end of the first centuary, the temple was destroyed and atonement could not be carried out. However jews considered this purification so important that they continued to practice a shadow of the sacrifice known as Kaparot ritual.

The Kaparot ritual substituted a chicken (a rooster for man and hen for a woman) (money in modern days) in the right hand and circled it over your head while reciting :

"This is my exchange, this is my substitute, this is my atonement. This chicken will go to it's death ( this money will go to charity) while I will enter and proceed to a good long life, and peace."

The chicken is then sacrificed and (or its value in cash) is given to the poor.
The spirit of Yon Kippur still remains.

The covering of the guilt of the nations

The Day of Atonement will be fulfilled in Jesus once again He comes for all the nations

  • "And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives" Zech 14:4.

  • "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen" Rev 1:7.

This is specially a time for the Jews who rejected their messiah in His first coming. This will usher in the new age of the Tabernacles.