Day of Atonement - Yom Kippur - כפור יום
By Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
XII. Yom HaKippurim in post biblical writings:
XIII. The service of the High Priest:
The feast of the tenth day of the seventh
month, called Tishri or Tashri, is commonly called Yom Kippur or the
Day of Atonement. The Torah calls this festival “Yom HaKippurim” or “Yom Kippurim” which
means “Day of The Atonements” or “Day of Atonements”.
Yom Kippurim, the Day of
Atonements, is the anniversary of the day Moses brought down the second set of Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai. This signified that HaShem forgave the Jewish
people for the transgression of the Golden Calf. For all times
this day was decreed to be a day of forgiveness for our mistakes. However, this
refers to transgressions against HaShem. Transgressions
against our fellow man require us to correct our mistakes and seek forgiveness.
So, more than anything else, this is a day for confession and repentance. The
whole liturgy of this day centers on these two aspects.
Repentance was one of the seven things created before
the world began:
Nedarim 39b Seven
things were created before the world, viz., The Torah, repentance, the Garden of Eden, Gehenna, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and the name of the Messiah. The
Torah, for
it is written, The Lord possessed me [sc. the Torah] in the beginning of his
way, before his works of old.[1]
Repentance, for it is written, Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever
thou hadst formed the earth and the world . . . Thou turnest man to
destruction, and sayest, Repent, ye sons of men.[2] The
Garden of Eden, as it is written, And the Lord God planted a garden in
This feast is initially described in:
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 23: 26-32 HaShem 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 HaShem by fire. Do no work on that day, because
it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before HaShem
your G-d. 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."
The word "Atonement" is defined by Strong's as:
3725
kippur, kip-poor'; from 3722; expiation (only in plural):-atonement.
כפר, kippur, never
occurs, in the Torah, in the singular. כפר, kippur, ONLY occurs in the
plural as כפרים, kippurim.
In Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:27, this feast is
called כפרים יום, Yom HaKippurim.
In Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:28, this feast is called כפרים יום, Yom Kippurim.
In Vayikra (Leviticus) 25:9, this feast is called הכפרים יום, Yom HaKippurim.
These three places are the only places where this
feast is mentioned in the Torah.
The “atonements” that take place on Yom Kippur, in the Temple,
will only be for sins committed in ignorance:
Bereans (Hebrews) 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.
The Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, chose two goats to be offered of Yom
Kippur – one for HaShem and one for Azazel. The goat for Azazel is said to be
an atonement for intentional sins.
Kippurim means to appease, make atonement, cleanse,
disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, purge away, put off, and make
reconciliation.
Yom HaKippurim is the
actual scriptural name for this festival, which
means the Day of the Atonements. The meaning has two
connotations to it: One, that a person repents for his sins that he has
committed against HaShem and asks HaShem for His forgiveness, and the other is
to ask for repentance from your fellow man for the sins that you have committed
against him.
There are two aspects of
Yom HaKippurim for which everyone must strive on this sacred day: atonement and
purity or cleansing [Vayikra (Leviticus)
On Yom HaKippurim, there
is a particular obligation to arouse one's soul. Every sin
consists of the deed and of the attitudes that underlie it. Just as man can
more easily control his hands than his eyes, his
actions than his imagination, so it is infinitely easier to avoid sinning in
deed and to repent from sinful deeds than it is to avoid, and repent from
sinful thoughts. Yom HaKippurim, the day of purity, calls for one to uproot
those attitudes and thoughts.
What is there about Yom
HaKippurim that proclaims purity? The Rambam provides us an insight: “There
is a further positive commandment on Yom HaKippurim.
It is to rest from eating and drinking. It is
forbidden to bathe, to apply oil to the body, to wear
shoes, or to cohabitate. It is a positive
commandment to rest from all these just as it is to rest from eating.” [9]
The purpose of fasting on
Yom HaKippurim is not self-affliction. That is if eating, drinking, and other
activities are ordeals from which one is freed on Yom HaKippurim. Indeed, if we
understand Yom HaKippurim properly, then we realize that it is truly a day of
rest. The activities on Yom HaKippurim represent the indulgence of the animal
part of the body-soul partnership that is in man. "Purity" requires
the supremacy of mind and soul; such indulgences stand in the way.
Viduy (confession) is
inseparable from teshuva (repentance). The Torah's commandment to repent makes
explicit mention of confession, not of repentance (Bamidbar (Numbers) 5:6-7).
There can be no repentance unless it is accompanied by a verbal confession. As
an intelligent, thinking imaginative being, man has all sorts of thoughts
flashing constantly through his mind. Even sublime thoughts of remorse and
self-improvement are not strange to him, but they do not last. For his thoughts
to have meaning, he must instill them into words, because the process of
thought culminates when ideas are expressed and clarified. That is not as easy
as it sounds. It is usually excruciatingly difficult for people to admit
explicitly that they have done wrong. We excuse ourselves. We refuse to admit
the truth. We shift blame. We deny the obvious. We excel at rationalizing. But
the person who pauses, thinks, and wrenches from himself the unpleasant truth,
"I have sinned," has performed a great, meaningful act. That is why
verbal confession is necessary before repentance can be regarded as complete.
Although sincere
repentance suffices to obtain forgiveness for sins committed against HaShem, no amount of remorse can atone for sins
committed against one fellow's man. To gain atonement
for sins against other human beings, one must first gain their forgiveness and
repay them for any monetary damages and overdue debts. This should be done all
through the year, but before Yom HaKippurim it is especially vital since there
is no way to gain HaShem's forgiveness for the interpersonal sins that are so
prevalent, day in, day out. Even if someone has hurt his fellow through a
'clever' remark or an insulting comment, he must appease him.
If the aggrieved party
refuses to forgive at the first request, the guilty party should ask a second
and a third time. The requests should be made before three
witnesses. If the aggrieved party still refuses to forgive, the offender need
not pursue the matter further, but he should announce before ten
people that he has made sincere attempt to gain forgiveness.
Someone who is asked to
forgive should do so without harshness; not to forgive is cruel. The only justification for not forgiving are: a sincere
desire to make the transgressor feel remorse and resolve not to repeat his
misdeed; a fear that one will suffer further harassment if he is too forgiving;
or if someone has been slandered and the public will not learn that the
accusation was false.
The day before Yom
HaKippurim is a mixture of confident joy in HaShem's mercy and forgiveness, and
repentant preparation for the awesome judgment of Yom HaKippurim itself. The
joyful aspect of the day is expressed scripturally by the commandment to feast
as if it were a festival. Indeed, the sages teach
that everyone who eats on erev Yom HaKippurim is rewarded as if pleasurable mitzva (commandment) were as painful and difficult as
the fast of Yom HaKippurim.[10]
It is customary to eat two festive meals on Erev Yom
HaKippurim, one at midday and the other called Seudah HaMafsekes, meal before
the fast. One should dip his challah in honey (or sugar) and eat fish and meat
at the first meal. However, one should be careful to eat only easily digestible
foods and refrain from eating hot foods, whose primary
ingredient is milk, eggs, or garlic. Also, one should not overeat, so that he
not approach Yom HaKippurim in a mood of arrogance and self-indulgence.
It is meritorious
to invite the needy to join in the meals. Psalm 126 should be recited before
Bircat HaMazon, grace after a meal, and the all the blessings during and after
the meals should be recited with feeling and concentration, in view of the
imminence of Yom HaKippurim.
It is the custom for men
over the bar mitzva age (12 for girls, 13 for boys) to immerse
themselves in a mikveh on Erev Yom HaKippurim. The
best time to do so is close to Mincha (afternoon
prayers) so the confession of the Shemoneh Esrei will
be said in a state of spiritual purity. Women may immerse themselves also. No
blessing is recited at this immersion.[11]
* * *
Rosh Hashanah, ushers in
the Ten Days of Returning. Its message has nothing
to do with compulsion or coercion, and everything to do with persuasion and
potential. This is in consonance with our fundamental Jewish outlook.
HaShem created the world
for it to be developed. And so, the biblical readings on Rosh
Hashanah deal with the Divine compassion for Ishmael as well as for Isaac.
Our tradition requires
blasts of the shofar in remembrance of the mourning mother of Sisera, arch-enemy of Israel,[12] and Yom Kippurim features the reading of the Book
of Jonah, in which the prophet is sent to inspire the Assyrians (the nation
responsible for the exile of our ten tribes) to
repent before HaShem.
Our goal is that the wicked return to HaShem.
The Days
of Awe are festivals of a special character,
celebrated in the month of that feast which, among the feasts of the community,
has as its content: arriving at rest. What distinguishes the Days of Awe from
all other festivals is that here, and only here, does the Sephardic Jew kneel.
He does not kneel to confess a fault or to pray for forgiveness of sins, acts
to which this festival is primarily dedicated. He kneels only in beholding the
immediate nearness of HaShem, hence on an occasion which transcends the earthly
needs of today.
The congregation now
rises to the feeling of HaShem's nearness as it sees in memory the Temple service, and visualizes especially the moment
when the High Priest, this once in all the year,
pronounced the ineffable Name of HaShem, and the assembled people fell on their
knees.
Yeshayah
(Isaiah) 45:22-25 "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of
the earth; for I am G-d, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my
mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before
me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me,
'In HaShem alone are righteousness and strength.'" All who have raged
against him will come to him and be put to shame. But in HaShem
all the descendants of
Romans
14:5-12 One man considers one day more sacred than
another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully
convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the
Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he
gives thanks to G-d; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks
to G-d. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself
alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So,
whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Mashiach died and returned to life so that he might be
the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your
brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before
G-d's judgment seat. It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to G-d.'"
So then, each of us will give an account of himself to G-d.
Philippians
2:1-11 If you have any encouragement from being united
with Mashiach, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, Then make my
joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit
and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in
humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not
only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude
should be the same as that of Mashiach Yeshua: Who,
being in very nature G-d, did not consider equality with G-d something to be
grasped, But made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being
made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled
himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore G-d
exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every
name, That at the name of Yeshua every knee should
bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
And every tongue confess that Yeshua Mashiach is Lord, to the glory of G-d the Father.
The number ten symbolizes perfect holiness as the aim on the most
sacred day of the year. The Ten Days of Repentance
are concluded on the tenth of Tishri. The Viddui (Confession of Sins) begins with an immersion
(baptism) of repentance, and is recited ten times on the Day of the Atonements
to coincide with the tradition that the High Priest
pronounced the name of HaShem ten times when he
invoked divine pardon on Yom HaKippurim. Yom HaKippurim also recalls the Ten
Commandments, which serve as advocates before the Supreme Judge in behalf of
the children of Israel, who accepted them with love
after the nations of the world refused them.
Yom Kippurim marks the
last day of teshuva (repentance), the days from the beginning of Elul till Yom Kippurim. This is the last of the Yamim
Noraim, the Awesome Days, the ten
days between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of
Atonement.
On this day, sometime
soon, our Great High Priest, Yeshua,
will go into the Temple made without hands and
sprinkle His own blood on the mercy seat.[13] This will
mark the beginning of the “new (new means renewed) covenant”. This covenant is a renewal of the covenant
that HaShem made with us at Sinai.
The High
Priest will completely eliminate sin, from
HaShem will forgive Israel of their sin in worshipping the golden calf.[15]
Today Moses will come
down from Sinai for the third time.
The folks returning from
seventy years of captivity in
Nabal will die today because
of his sin against the HaShem’s anointed, David, who
will soon rule over all of
Two
millennial days ago, when all the people were being baptized,
Yeshua was baptized by Yochanan (John) the Baptist.
Luqas
(Luke) 3:21-23 When all the people were being baptized, Yeshua
was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened And the Holy Spirit
descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am
well pleased." Now yeshua himself was about thirty years old when he began
his ministry…
Notice that this is from
Luqas (Luke) who specifically wrote in chronological order (Luqas (Luke)
1:3-4). The idiom "was about thirty" means that He was exactly thirty
years old from the time of His naming, His circumcision.
Since His birthday was on Tishri fifteen (Succoth) and since Yom HaKippurim falls on the tenth of
Tishri, we can see that this immersion (baptism) occurred on Yom HaKippurim.
Today is the beginning of
the Jubilee year when all slaves are set free and return
to their own land. One day soon, we will be free of
sin and slavery forever!
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 25:8-13 "'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. "'In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own
property.
Today the Great Shofar will be sounded throughout the land to proclaim liberty to all the inhabitants.
Today is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you. (Vayikra (Leviticus)
Luqas (Luke) 14:1 - 17:10
took place during this “appointed time”.
Today Yechezkel (Ezekiel)
was brought to a very high mountain to measure and see a Temple
that was like a city. This huge
The
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 16:2-34 HaShem said to Moses: "Tell your brother
Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the
Ethiopian Jewry have a
tradition that the day when Joseph reconciled with
his father, Jacob, after 22 years of estrangement
was the 10th of Tishri, the future date of Yom Kippur. The thematic link is
clear. Father represents tradition, the past, the world of roots. If I can
traverse the distance between myself and my father, then the Jewish people can
traverse the distance between themselves and HaShem, ending estrangement. And
HaShem, our heavenly Father, is always ready to forgive. His arms are
constantly outstretched, and the gates of heaven are
always open wide to receive His errant children.
I Shmuel
(Samuel) 25:1-37 Now Shmuel (Samuel) died, and all Israel assembled and mourned
for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into
the
I Shmuel
(Samuel) 25:38-42 About ten days
later, HaShem struck Nabal and he died. When David heard that Nabal was dead,
he said, "Praise be to HaShem, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for
treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has
brought Nabal's wrongdoing down on his own head." Then David sent word to
Abigail, asking her to become his wife. His servants went to
It has been expounded:
The ten days are the ten days of
Teshuva during which the judgement of Nabal was with held by heaven, with
the hope that he might do Teshuva.[17]
Rosh
HaShana 18a R. Shmuel b. Inia said in the name of Rab: Whence
do we know that the final sentence on a community is never sealed? — Never
sealed , [you say]? Is it not written, Thine iniquity is marked before me?[18] What he
should say is, [How do we know that] although it is sealed it can yet be
rescinded? Because it says, as the Lord our G-d is whenever we call upon him.[19] But it
is written, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found?[20] — This
verse speaks of an individual, the other of community. When can an individual
[find G-d]? — Rabbah b. Abbuha said: These are the ten days between New Year and the Day of Atonement.
And it came to pass after the ten
days that the Lord smote Nabal.[21] How come
these ten days here? — Rab Judah said in the name of Rab: They correspond to
the ten dishes which Nabal gave to the servants of David.[22] R.
Nahman said in the name of Rabbah b. Abbuha: These are the ten days between New Year and the Day of Atonement.
I see the goal of Yom HaKippurim as a return to
the garden of Eden. This return to
It is customary not to
perform weddings during these Days
of Awe[23], but there is no support for this practice
anywhere in the words of the early Hakhamim.[24]
There is a Talmudic dictum that "when a man marries his sins
are forgiven." Hence a wedding day is equated with Yom HaKippurim. As Yom
HaKippurim atones for sins, so matrimony is a
bridge to forgiveness and atonement. To emphasize the nexus between Yom
HaKippurim and their wedding day, the bridegroom and bride fast on that day. In
the afternoon service, the bridegroom recites the Viddui, the solemn Yom
HaKippurim confession. As it is customary to wear white on the Day of
Atonements as a symbol of purity, so it is traditional for the bride to wear a
white gown and for the bridegroom to be clad in a kittel (white robe).
Ashkenazim wear a kittle when Sephardim do not have this tradition.
This "wedding rehearsal", of Yom HaKippurim, is meant
to prepare us for the wedding of the Lamb which will take place on Yom
HaKippurim sometime in the future:
Revelation
19:9 Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed
are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he
added, "These are the true words of G-d."
During these Days of Awe,
many people make it a practice to study the entire Tanach. One ought to make
the principle part of his study the tractate Yoma and it's commentaries, to understand
the service of Yom HaKippurim as it was in the Temple.
Our sages have said, "Whoever engages in Torah is considered as one who
has sacrificed a burnt offering".[25]
Let every man examine his
actions and turn from those of them that are evil; that which is a questionable
transgression requires more Teshuvah than that which is certain transgression,
for a man regrets his actions more when he knows
them than when he does not[26].
II
Melakim (Kings) 25:22-26 Nebuchadnezzar king of
On the third of Tishri
falls the fast of Gedaliah, which coming at the close of Yom
Teruah, is also called the Fast of the Seventh, after the seventh month,
when Gedaliah the son of Ahikam was killed and the last ember of Israel was extinguished; and this was the cause of the
ultimate exile.[27]
The eighth of Tishri,
which is the eighth of the ten days of Teshuvah, is
called the "Thirteen Qualities," after the hymn which Rabbi Amittai
(ben Shefatiah, ca.900) composed on the thirteen
divine qualities. People rise earlier to pray on that day than at other times.
Devarim
(Deuteronomy) 30:1-10 When all these blessings and curses I have set
before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever HaShem your G-d disperses you among the nations, And
when you and your children return to HaShem your G-d and obey him with all your
heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today,
Then HaShem your G-d will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and
gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. Even if you have
been banished to the most distant land under the heavens,
from there HaShem your G-d will gather you and bring
you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will
make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. HaShem your G-d will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your
descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your
soul, and live. HaShem your G-d will put all these curses on your enemies who
hate and persecute you. You will again obey HaShem and follow all his commands
I am giving you today. Then HaShem your G-d will make you most prosperous in
all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your
livestock and the crops of your land. HaShem will again delight in you and make
you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers,
If you obey HaShem your G-d and keep his commands
and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and
turn to HaShem your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul.
Eichah
(Lamentations) 3:31-50 For men are not cast off by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing
love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of
men. To crush underfoot all prisoners in the land, To deny a man his rights
before the Most High, To deprive a man of justice--would not the Lord see such
things? Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it
not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?
Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins? Let us
examine our ways and test them, and let us return to HaShem.
Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to G-d in heaven,
and say: "We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven.
"You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us; you have slain
without pity. You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through. You have made us scum and refuse
among the nations. "All our enemies have opened their mouths wide against
us. We have suffered terror and pitfalls, ruin and destruction." Streams
of tears flow from my eyes because my people are
destroyed. My eyes will flow unceasingly, without relief, Until HaShem looks down from heaven
and sees.
Hoshea
(Hosea) 3:1-5 HaShem said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is
loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as HaShem loves the Israelites, though they turn to other G-ds and love the
sacred raisin cakes." So I bought her for fifteen
shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her,
"You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be
intimate with any man, and I will live with you." For the Israelites will
live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones,
without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek HaShem
their G-d and David their king. They will come trembling to HaShem and to his
blessings in the last days.
The
Haftarah portion for the Sabbath during the Awesome days:
Hoshea
(Hosea) 14:1-9
The
Haftarah portion for the Sabbath during the Awesome
days:
Yoel
(Joel) 2:11-27
Micah
7:18-20.
Yom HaKippurim - Day of
Atonements
3725 kippur, kip-poor'; from 3722; expiation (only
in plur.):-atonement.
--------------- Dictionary Trace --------------
3722 kaphar, kaw-far'; a prim. root; to cover
(spec. with bitumen); fig. to expiate or condone, to placate or
cancel:-appease, make (an) atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful,
pacify, pardon, purge (away), put off, (make) reconcile (-liation).
Yom HaKippurim (Day of
the Atonements - this is the biblical name. Notice the similarity to Purim. In fact Ki
is a causitive prefix often found in the scriptures. Note that on both days the
pur or lot is cast.) So, Yom Kippurim can mean the “Day of Atonements”, or it
can mean a “Day like Purim”. The Vilna Gaon compared Purim to Yom HaKippurim as
two halves of the same day. It would seem, then, that
the two holidays are not only related but, in some way, Purim is even greater
(Yom Kipurim is “like” but not as an “equal”)!
Yom Kippurim and Purim
both serve to reconnect us to the highest Source of spirituality. However, on
Yom Kippurim we abandon the physical while on Purim
we embrace it. Thus the greatness of Purim is the unique opportunity for both body and soul to revel in
the hidden spirituality of the physical world.
Here are some of the
names given to Yom HaKippurm:
|
Yom Kippurim |
Day of Atonements |
|
Yom Kippur |
Day of Atonement |
|
Yoma |
Talmud - "The
Day" |
|
Yom ha-Asor |
The Tenth Day |
|
White Fast |
Tish B'Av was the "Black Fast" |
|
Yoma Rabbah |
In |
|
Tzoma Rabbah |
In |
|
The fast |
II Luqas (Acts) 27:9 |
Yoma 39b Our
Rabbis taught:[28] Ten times did the high priest pronounce the [Ineffable]
Name on that day: Three times at the first confession,
thrice at the second confession, thrice in connection
with the he-goat to be sent away, and once in connection with the lots. And it
already happened that when he pronounced the Name,
his voice was heard even unto Jericho.[29]
* * *
Yoma 32a Our
Rabbis taught: And Aaron shall come into the tent of
meeting[30] For what
purpose does he enter? For no other purpose than that of taking out the censer
and the coal-pan, the whole portion being reported in right order with the
exception of this passage.[31] For what
reason?[32] — R. Hisda said: There is a tradition: Five immersions and ten sanctifications did the high priest undergo on that day. If he had performed them
in the order mentioned in the scriptures there could have been no more than three immersions and six sanctifications.[33]
It was
taught: R. Judah said: Whence do we know of the five immersions and ten
sanctifications which the high priest had to undergo on that day? To teach us
that it is said: And Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting, and shall put
off the linen garments . . . and he shall wash his flesh in water in a holy
place and put on his other vestments and come forth and offer [his
burnt-offering].[34] Thus you
infer that whenever one changes from one service to another,[35] an
immersion is required. Rabbi said: Whence do we know that the high priest had
to undergo five immersions and ten sanctifications on that day? Because it is
said: He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and he shall have the linen
breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with the linen girdle, and with
the linen mitre shall he be attired; they are the holy garments; and he shall
bathe his flesh in water, and put them on.[36] Hence
you learn that whosoever changes from service to service requires an immersion.
Moreover, it says, ‘They are the holy garments’, thus putting all the garments
on the same level. Now there are five services;[37] The
continual offering of dawn, [performed] in the golden garments: the service of
the day [the Day of Atonement], in linen garments; of his [the high priest's]
and the people's ram, in the golden garments; [the taking out] of the censer
and coal-pan, in white garments; the continual evening offering in the golden
garments — Whence do we know that every immersion required two sanctifications?
For it is written: And he shall put off . . . and he shall wash; and he shall
wash and he shall put on.[38] — R.
Eliezer b. Simeon said: This can be inferred a minori ad majus: If in a case
where no immersion is required,[39]
sanctification is yet required,[40] how much
more, in a place in which immersion is required,[41] is
sanctification also required — But [perhaps let us also infer] that as there
only one sanctification is required, here, too, one only would be necessary?
Therefore Scripture says: And Aaron shall come into the tent
of meeting, and shall put off the linen garments which he put on — what is
the meaning of ‘which he put on’? Does not a man put off but that which he did
put on? Rather [are these superfluous words written] to put the putting off on
the same level with the putting on of the garments; just as the putting on of
the garments requires sanctification,[42] so does
the putting off of the garments require it.
[The master said]:[43] ‘R.
Judah said: Whence do we know of the five immersions
and ten sanctifications which the high priest had to
undergo on that Day? To teach us that Scripture says: "And Aaron shall
come into the tent of meeting . . . and shall wash his flesh in water in a holy
place." Thus you infer that whenever one changes from one service to
another, an immersion is required.’ We found [this rule] for the change from the white garments to the
golden ones.[44] Whence
do we know [that it also applies] for the change from the golden to the linen
ones?
Morning: Vayikra
(Leviticus) 16: 1-34
Bamidbar (Numbers) 29: 7-11
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 57:14 - 58:14
Minchah: Vayikra
(Leviticus) 18: 1-30
Jonah (the whole book)
Micah 7:18-20
Iyov (Job) is read by
some early in the afternoon.
Ironically Jonah was the
only successful prophet in scripture! The only one whom people listen to and
who causes them to actually change their ways. Yet it is his knowledge that he will succeed, not doubts about a
possible failure, that causes Jonah to flee. Jonah is not afraid that the
people of
Jonah 4:2 He
prayed to HaShem, "HaShem, is this not what I
said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish.
I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate G-d, slow to anger and
abounding in love, a G-d who relents from sending calamity.
There is also a deep
Kabalistic understanding that the story of Yonah is the story of a neshama (soul) being sent to the earth. It is
clothed in a body which is represented by the ship. The
rest of the book deals with the mission of the neshama
after it is clothed in a body.
The tenth day of the
seventh month is:
I Melakim
(Kings) 8:2 All the men of Israel
came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival
in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.
The seventh month is
called Ethanim and is also known as Tishri.
* * *
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 23:26-32 HaShem 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
HaShem by fire. Do no work on that day, because it is
the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before HaShem your G-d.
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."
You must deny
yourself.
It is a lasting
ordinance.
You shall do no work.
Vayikra
(Leviticus)
Shabbat Shabbaton means Sabbath of solemn rest
Someone asked the pious Rabbi Zevi ha-Kohen of
Rymanov: Wherein lies the superiority of Yom HaKippurim, that it is called
"a Sabbath of Sabbaths"? Is not the Sabbath also written of as
"a Sabbath of Sabbaths unto the lord"?
Shemot
(Exodus) 35:1-3 Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and
said to them, "These are the things HaShem has commanded you to do: For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be
your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to HaShem. Whoever does any work on it
must be put to death. Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the
Sabbath day." Moses said to the whole Israelite community, "This is
what HaShem has commanded:
He replied to him who asked: I see that you do not
read the portion of the week with care. Indeed, of the Sabbath it is written,
"a Sabbath of Sabbaths unto the Lord," but of Yom HaKippurim it is
written, "A Sabbath of Sabbaths unto you"
For on Yom HaKippurim we
draw the sanctity of the superior realm down nearer to us.[45]
Vayikra
(Leviticus)
7677shabbathown,
shab-baw-thone'; from 7676; a sabbatism or special holiday:- rest, sabbath.
---------------
Dictionary Trace ----------------
7676shabbath,
shab-bawth'; intens. from 7673; intermission, i.e. (spec.) the Sabbath:-(+
every) sabbath.
Hebrew
definition and rendering to English deny
H6031 `anah, aw-naw'; a prim. root [possibly rather ident. with 6030
through the idea of looking down or browbeating]; to depress lit. or fig.,
trans. or intrans. (in various applications, as follow):-abase self, afflict
(-ion, self), answer [by mistake for 6030], chasten self, deal hardly with,
defile, exercise, force, gentleness, humble (self), hurt, ravish, sing [by
mistake for 6030], speak [by mistake for 6030], submit self, weaken, X in any
wise.
The
Torah teaches us that “You must deny yourself”:
Vayikra
(Leviticus)
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 16:31 It is a sabbath of
rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.
Vayikra
(Leviticus)
Vayikra
(Leviticus)
Vayikra
(Leviticus)
Bamidbar
(Numbers) 29:7 "'On the tenth day of this seventh month
hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work.
You must do no work! It is a lasting ordinance.
You must fast, don't even drink,
no love making,
no bathing,
do not anoint your body with oil, and
do not wear leather shoes.[46]
As you can see, the body is quite deprived on Yom
HaKippurim. Such abstention is not meant to be a sick kind of torture. Though
abstention from each item on the above list has its own reason behind it,
collectively, the five are meant to draw us away
temporarily from our bodies' desires. As a result, we can focus more
pointedly on our soul. Just for the day.
(By the way - notice I say bodily "desires" and not
"needs." If someone has a medical NEED to eat
or drink or bathe, etc..., then they must go ahead and do so (Consult a Hakham
if there is any doubt.). But your average healthy adult can survive the
twenty-five hours without these things. True, it's not comfortable, but it is
livable.)
A sick person is fed at
the word of experts. If there are no experts present, he is fed if he wishes,
until he says, Enough![47]
Where the law allows a sick man to eat, and
he does not wish to, that is a foolish kind of piety, of which it was said:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 9:5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an
accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man,
too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.
It is also said:
Kohelet
(Ecclesiastes)
So the sick man is fed
against his will.[48]
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 16:29 And [this] shall be a statute
for ever unto you: [that] in the seventh month,
on the tenth [day] of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at
all, [whether it be] one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth
among you:
2708 chuqqah, khook-kaw'; fem. of 2706, and mean.
substantially the same:- appointed, custom, manner, ordinance, site, statute.
-------------- Dictionary Trace -----------------
2706 choq, khoke; from 2710; an enactment; hence an
appointment (of time, space quantity, labor or usage):-appointed, bound,
commandment, convenient, custom, decree (-d), due, law, measure, X necessary,
ordinance (-nary), portion, set time, statute, task.
Rosh Hashanah 9a-b Whence
then does R. Ishmael derive the rule that an addition
is to be made from the profane on to the holy? From what has been taught: And
ye shall afflict your souls on the ninth day of the month in the evening from
evening to evening, shall ye keep your Sabbath
(Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:32). I might think literally on the ninth day. It
therefore says, In the evening. If in the evening, I might think, after dark?
It therefore says, on the ninth day [and after dark would be on the tenth].
What then am I to understand? That we begin fasting while it is yet day; which
shows that we add from the profane on to the holy. I know this so far only in
regard to the inception of the holy day; how do I know it in regard to its
termination? Because it says, from evening to evening. So far I have brought
only the Day of Atonement under the rule, how do I know that it applies to
Sabbaths also? Because it says, ye shall rest. How do I know that it applies to
festivals? Because it says, your Sabbath. How am I
to understand this? That wherever there is an obligation to rest, we add from
the profane on to the holy.
What then does R. Akiba make of this, and ye shall
afflict your souls on the ninth day? He requires it for the lesson learnt by R.
Hiyya b. Rab from Difti. For R. Hiyya b. Rab from Difti learnt: "And ye
shall afflict your souls on the ninth day". Do we then fast on the ninth
day? Is it not on the tenth day that we fast? We do; but the use of this word
indicates that if a man eats and drinks on the ninth
day, the scripture accounts it to him as if he fasted on both the ninth and the
tenth days.
Shemot
(Exodus) 30:1-10 "Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit
wide, and two cubits high--its horns of one piece with it. Overlay the top and
all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it.
Make two gold rings for the altar below the molding--two
on opposite sides--to hold the poles used to carry it. Make the poles of acacia
wood and overlay them with gold. Put the altar in front of the curtain that is
before the ark of the Testimony--before the atonement
cover that is over the Testimony--where I will meet with you. "Aaron must
burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. He
must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will
burn regularly before HaShem for the generations to
come. Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a
drink offering on it. Once a year Aaron shall make atonement
on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most
holy to HaShem."
II Luqas (Acts) 27:9
speaks of Paul's sailing during "the fast". "The Fast" was
another name given to the Day of Atonement. Curiously, the Tanach does not
command a fast, but rather to “deny yourselves”. It is only in the oral law (Mishna Yoma) that we find that this “deny
yourselves” includes a fast.
II Luqas
(Acts) 27:1-10 When it was decided that we would sail for
The Yovel,
or Jubilee, year begins on Yom HaKippurim:
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 25:8-18 "'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.
"'In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property.
"'If you sell land to one of your countrymen or buy any from him, do not
take advantage of each other. You are to buy from your countryman on the basis
of the number of years since the Jubilee. And he is to sell to you on the basis
of the number of years left for harvesting crops. When the years are many, you
are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the
price, because what he is really selling you is the number of crops. Do not
take advantage of each other, but fear your G-d. I am HaShem
your G-d. "'Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws,
and you will live safely in the land.
The Sages teach that the
slave go free on the tenth of Tishri, but the Yovel year begins on the first of
Tishri:
Rosh HaShana 8b AND
FOR JUBILEE YEARS. [is the New Year for] Jubilees on the first
of Tishri? Surely [the New Year for] Jubilees is on the tenth of Tishri, as
it is written, on the day of atonement shall ye make proclamation with the horn?[49] — What authority is here followed? R. Ishmael the
son of R. Johanan b. Beroka, as it has been taught: And ye shall hallow the
fiftieth year.[50] What is the point of these words? [It is this].
Since it says, On the day of atonement [ye shall
make proclamation ],[51] I might think that the year is sanctified only
from the Day of Atonement onwards. Therefore it says, And ye shall sanctify the
fiftieth year. This teaches that it is sanctified from its inception. On this
ground R. Ishmael the son of R. Johanan b. Beroka laid down that from New Year to the Day of Atonement
slaves were neither dismissed to their homes nor subjected to their masters,
but they ate and drank and made merry, wearing
garlands on their heads.[52] When the Day of Atonement came, the Beth din
sounded the horn; slaves were dismissed to their
homes and fields returned to their original owners. And the Rabbis [ — what do
they make of this verse]? — [They say it teaches that] you are to sanctify
years but not months.[53]
Rashi indicates that we
have the beginning of a Yovel year in:
Yechezkel
(Ezekiel) 40:1 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of
the month, in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city--on
that very day the hand of HaShem was upon me and he
took me there.
This is derived from:
Yechezkel
(Ezekiel) 1:1-3 In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month
on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the
The thirtieth year ...
from the Jubilee...
Bamidbar
(Numbers) 29:7-11 '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 HaShem 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.
* We are to hold a sacred assembly.
The burnt offering was:
Seven
(7) male lambs, each a year old with it's grain and drink offering.
One (1) young bull with
it's grain and drink offering.
One (1) ram with it's
grain and drink offering.
The seven male lambs were offered only at:
|
Bamidbar (Numbers)
28:11, |
|
|
Bamidbar (Numbers)
28:19, |
|
|
|
|
|
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:2, |
|
|
Yom HaKippurim |
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:8, |
|
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:32, and |
|
|
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:36. |
The one (1) young bull was offered at:
|
As a regular burnt offering |
Vayikra (Leviticus)
1:5, |
|
Shavuot |
|
|
Consecrate the priests |
Shemot (Exodus) 29:1,
Bamidbar (Numbers) 8:8, |
|
The dedication of the altar that
Solomon built |
Bamidbar (Numbers) |
|
Yom Teruah |
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:2, and |
|
Yom HaKippurim |
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:8. |
The ram was used to / at:
|
Consecrate
the priests |
Shemot (Exodus)
29:1, Bamidbar (Numbers) 8:8, |
|
Shavuot |
|
|
The
dedication of the altar that Solomon built |
Bamidbar (Numbers)
|
|
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:13,14,17,20,23,26,29,32. |
The sin offering was: One (1) male goat
|
When
a leader sins unintentionally |
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 4:23, |
|
general
sin offering |
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 9:3, |
|
|
|
|
Dedication
of the altar |
Bamidbar (Numbers)
|
|
for
unintentional sin |
Bamidbar (Numbers)
|
|
Bamidbar (Numbers)
28:15, |
|
|
Bamidbar (Numbers)
28:22, |
|
|
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:5, |
|
|
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:11, |
|
|
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:16, |
|
|
Yechezkel
(Ezekiel) 43:25, |
|
|
Passover in Yechezkel (Ezekiel)'s temple |
Yechezkel
(Ezekiel) 45:23. |
The grain offering, associated with the burnt
offering, was 3/10 of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil.
The three-tenths of an
ephah is associated with any bull burnt offering these feasts had a
single bull:
|
Yom Teruah |
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:1-3, |
|
Yom HaKippurim |
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:7-9 |
This offering is
associated with the lamb burnt offering. It was required only on:
|
The Sabbath |
Bamidbar (Numbers)
28:9, |
|
Rosh Chodesh |
Bamidbar (Numbers)
28:12, |
|
The Feast of Unleavened Bread |
Bamidbar (Numbers)
28:20, |
|
Shavuot |
Bamidbar (Numbers)
28:28, |
|
Yom Teruah |
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:3, |
|
Yom HaKippurim |
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:9, and |
|
Succoth |
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:14, |
The grain offering was:
With the one (1) bull: three-tenths (3/10) of
an ephah mixed with oil,
with the one (1) ram: two-tenths (2/10) of an
ephah mixed with oil,
with the seven (7)
lambs: one-tenth (1/10) of an ephah mixed with oil.
Atonement (covering):
one (1) male goat.
The atonement goat was
required exclusively at:
|
Bamidbar (Numbers)
28:22, |
|
|
Bamidbar (Numbers)
28:30, |
|
|
Bamidbar (Numbers) 29:5 |
|
|
Bamidbar (Numbers)
29:11. |
Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:1-2 HaShem said to Moses, "Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: 'See that you present to me
at the appointed time the food
for my offerings made by fire,
as an aroma pleasing to me.'
This is the "moed", the appointment.
Bereans
(Hebrews) 8:1 - 9:15 The point of what we are saying is this: We do
have such a high priest, who sat down at the right
hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, And who
serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up
by the Lord, not by man. Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and
sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to
offer. If he were on earth, he would not be a priest,
for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of
what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the
tabernacle: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern
shown you on the mountain." But the ministry Yeshua
has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant
of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better
promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no
place would have been sought for another. But G-d found fault with the people
and said: "The time is coming, declares the
Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of
The time
is coming...it was future to the writer. It was for
sins committed in ignorance. Yeshua is our atonement for sin:
Yeshayah
(Isaiah) 53:4-12 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our
sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by G-d, 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 HaShem has laid on him the iniquity of us
all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led
like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so
he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And
who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the
living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a
grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his
death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it
was HaShem's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though HaShem makes
his life a guilt offering, he will see his
offspring and prolong his days, and the will of HaShem will prosper in his
hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will
see the light [of life] and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant
will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him
a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the
transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the
transgressors.
Romans
3:23-26 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of G-d, And are justified freely by his grace through
the redemption that came by Mashiach Yeshua. G-d 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 Yeshua.
I
Yochanan (John) 2:1-2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you
will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in
our defense--Yeshua Mashiach, 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.
Bereans
(Hebrews)
When did Yeshua enter the most holy place with His blood?
Bereans
(Hebrews) 9:7-8 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. The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the
The bull for the High Priest and the Goat for HaShem were both burned on top of The
Bereans
(Hebrews) 10:15-25 The Holy Spirit also
testifies to us about this. First he says: "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says
the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds." Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." And
where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. Therefore,
brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of
Yeshua, By a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is,
his body, And since we have a great priest over the house of G-d, Let us draw
near to G-d with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is
faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and
good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of
doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day
approaching.
What day? The Day of
Atonement? Is this the blood that initiate the "new" covenant?
* * *
Revelation
1:4-6 Yochanan (John), To the seven churches in the
province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who
is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his
throne, And from Yeshua Mashiach, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn
from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and
has freed us from our sins by his blood, And has made us to be a kingdom
and priests to serve his G-d and Father--to him be
glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Revelation
5:7-10 He came and took the scroll
from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the
four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell
down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls
full of incense, which are the prayers
of the saints. And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the
scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood
you purchased men for G-d from every tribe and
language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests
to serve our G-d, and they will reign on the earth."
I suspect that Luqas
(Luke) 14:1 - 17:10 took place on the Sabbath
between Yom Teruah and Yom HaKippurim.
Luqas
(Luke) 14:1-35 One Sabbath, when Yeshua went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being
carefully watched. There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. Yeshua asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" But they remained silent. So
taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away. Then he asked them,
"If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath
day, will you not immediately pull him out?" And they had nothing to say.
When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told
them this parable: "When someone invites you to a wedding
feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you
may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and
say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take
the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so
that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better
place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For
everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be
exalted." Then Yeshua said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or
dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich
neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But
when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
And you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at
the resurrection of the righteous." When one
of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Yeshua, "Blessed is
the man who will eat at the feast
in the
Luqas
(Luke) 15:1-32 Now the tax collectors and "sinners"
were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of
the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Then Yeshua told them this
parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.
Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost
sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his
shoulders And goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and
says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the
same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over
one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need
to repent. "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins
and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully
until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors
together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same
way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of G-d over
one sinner who repents." Yeshua continued: "There was a man who had
two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the
estate.' So he divided his property between them. "Not long after that,
the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and
there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything,
there was a severe famine in that whole country, and
he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that
country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach
with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one
gave him anything. "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my
father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am
starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him:
Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to
be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went
to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him
and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms
around him and kissed him. "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned
against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "But
the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best
robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger
and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and
is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house,
he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what
was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed
the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' "The older
brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded
with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving
for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young
goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has
squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened
calf for him!' "'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and
everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this
brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"
Luqas
(Luke) 16:1-31 Yeshua told his disciples: "There was a rich
man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in
and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your
management, because you cannot be manager any longer.' "The manager said
to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not
strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg-- I know what I'll do so that,
when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.' "So he
called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do
you owe my master?' "'Eight hundred gallons of
olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him,
'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.' "Then he
asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?' "'A thousand bushels of
wheat,' he replied. "He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight
hundred.' "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted
shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their
own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to
gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into
eternal dwellings. "Whoever can be trusted with
very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very
little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in
handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have
not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property
of your own? "No servant can serve two masters.
Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the
one and despise the other. You cannot serve both G-d and Money." The
Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Yeshua. He said to them, "You are the ones who
justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but G-d knows your hearts. What is
highly valued among men is detestable in G-d's sight. "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until Yochanan (John).
Since that time, the good news of the
Luqas
(Luke) 17:1-10 Yeshua said to his disciples: "Things that
cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that
person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the
sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these
little ones to sin. So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke
him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven
times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive
him." The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" He
replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to
this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.
"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep.
Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now
and sit down to eat'? Would he not rather say,
'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink;
after that you may eat and drink'? Would he thank the servant because he did
what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were
told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our
duty.'"
Revelation
3:1-6 "To the angel of the church
in
1. Called a "sin offering".
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:3
2. Aaron's own sin
offering.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:6, 16:11 (3
times)
3. Used to make atonement
for Aaron and his house.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:6,
4. Sprinkle blood on the
front of the atonement cover.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:14
5. Sprinkle blood with
his finger, seven times before the atonement cover.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:14
6. He is to make
atonement for the altar by putting it on all the horns of the altar.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:18
7. He is to sprinkle some
blood seven times, with his finger, to cleanse it and to consecrate it from all
the uncleaness of the Israelites.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:19
8. Along with the goat
this makes atonement for the altar, the Holy of Holies, and the Tent of Meeting.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:20
9. The rest of the bull
is to be burned completely, outside the camp.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:27
10. The one who burns up
the bull must baptize himself and his clothes before
he can return to the camp.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:28
1. To be presented to the
Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:7
2. The High priest is to cast lots for the goat "for the
Lord".
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:8
3. Aaron is to sacrifice
it as a sin offering.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:9
4. It is to be
slaughtered after the bull.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:15
5. It's blood is to be
sprinkled, seven times, on the front of the Atonement cover just as the bull's
blood was.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:15
6. It is used to atone
for the most
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:16
7. It is to be mixed with
the blood of the bull and applied to the horns of the altar of incense.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:18
8. The mixed blood is to
be sprinkled seven times on the altar of incense, to cleanse it and consecrate it from the
uncleanness of the Israelites.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:19
9. Aaron is to burn it's
fat on the altar.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:25
10. The hide, flesh, and
offal is to be burned outside the camp.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:27
11. The man who burns it
up must bathe himself and his clothes before he can
return to the camp.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:28
1. It is part of the sin offering from the Israelites.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:5
2. It is to be presented
to the Lord before the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:7
3. It is to be chosen by
lot, for Azazel.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:8
4. It is to be presented
to the Lord alive.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:10
5. It is used for making atonement by send it into the desert as Azazel.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:10
6. Aaron is to lay both
hands on it and confess on it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:21
7. All the sins of the Israelites are to be put on the goat's head.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:21
8. The goat is to be sent
into the desert by a man appointed for the task.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:21
9. The goat will carry on
itself all the sins of the Israelites to a solitary place.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:22
10. It is to be released
in the desert.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:22
11. The man who releases
the goat must wash his clothes and bathe before he can
return to the camp.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:26
KI_PURIM and PURIM are related.
Bullock
6499 par, par; or par, pawr; from 6565; a bullock
(appar. as breaking forth in wild strength, or perh. as dividing the hoof):-(+
young) bull (- ock), calf, ox.
------------- Dictionary Trace -----------------
6565 parar, paw-rar'; a prim. root; to break up
(usually fig., i.e. to violate, frustrate):-X any ways, break (asunder), cast
off, cause to cease, X clean, defeat, disannul, disappoint, dissolve, divide,
make of none effect, fail, frustrate, bring (come) to nought, X utterly, make
void.
The first usage of bull:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 32:13-15 He spent the night there, and from what he had
with him he selected a gift for his brother Esau: Two
hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,
Thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty
female donkeys and ten male donkeys.
The first usage of the blood of bulls:
Shemot
(Exodus) 24:4 Moses then wrote down everything HaShem had said. He got up early the next morning and
built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve
stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of
GOAT:
5795 `ez, aze; from 5810; a she-goat (as strong),
but masc. in plur. (which also is used ellipt. for goats' hair):-(she) goat,
kid.
------------ Dictionary Trace -----------------
5810 `azaz, aw-zaz'; a prim. root; to be stout (lit.
or fig.):-harden, impudent, prevail, strengthen (self), be strong.
The first usage of goat and ram:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 15:9-21 So HaShem said to him,
"Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young
pigeon." Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two
and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut
in half. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them
away. As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep
sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over
him. Then HaShem said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will
be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and
mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the
nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great
possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a
good old age. In the fourth generation your
descendants will come back here, for the sin of the
Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." When the sun had set and
darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed
between the pieces. On that day HaShem made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants
I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates--
The land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites,
Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."
The first use of goat's blood:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 37:31 Then they got Joseph's
robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They took the
ornamented robe back to their father and said, "We found this. Examine it
to see whether it is your son's robe." He recognized it and said, "It
is my son's robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely
been torn to pieces."
RAM:
352 'ayil, ah'-yil; from
the same as 193; prop. strength; hence anything strong; spec. a chief
(politically); also a ram (from his strength); a pilaster (as a strong
support); an oak or other strong tree:-mighty (man), lintel, oak, post, ram,
tree.
-----------------
Dictionary Trace ----------------------
193 'uwl, ool; from an
unused root mean. to twist, i.e. (by impl.) be strong; the body (as being
rolled together); also powerful:-mighty, strength.
OIL:
8081 shemen, sheh'-men;
from 8080; grease, espec. liquid (as from the olive, often perfumed); fig.
richness:-anointing, X fat (things), X fruitful, oil ([-ed]), ointment, olive,
+ pine.
Bereshit
(Genesis) 28:10-22 Jacob left
DRINK offering:
5262 necek, neh'-sek; or
necek, nay'-sek; from 5258; a libation; also a cast idol:-cover, drink
offering, molten image. ^ nicman. See 5567.
----------------
Dictionary Trace ---------------------
5258 nacak, naw-sak'; a
prim. root; to pour out, espec. a libation, or to cast (metal); by anal. to
anoint a king:-cover, melt, offer, (cause to) pour (out), set (up).
5567 caman, saw-man'; a
prim. root; to designate:-appointed.
The first usage of a drink offering:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 35:9-15 After Jacob returned
from Paddan
LAMB:
3532 kebes, keh-bes';
from an unused root mean. to dominate; a ram (just old enough to butt):-lamb,
sheep.
The first usage of lamb:
Shemot
(Exodus) 12:3-11 Tell the whole community of
So, each of these offerings seems to point back to a covenant that HaShem made with men. Hmmm...
There is also a reminder
of HaShem’s promise to multiply.
We also see goats for Esau.
Several of the events
happened at or near
The first time we see two goats is in:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 27:1-10 When Isaac was old and
his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he
called for Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." "Here I
am," he answered. Isaac said, "I am now an old man and don't know the
day of my death. Now then, get your weapons--your quiver and bow--and go out to
the open country to hunt some wild game for me. Prepare me the kind of tasty
food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing
before I die." Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau.
When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, Rebekah
said to her son Jacob, "Look, I overheard your father say to your brother
Esau, 'Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food
to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the
presence of HaShem before I die.' Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I
tell you: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I
can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then
take it to your father to eat, so that he may give
you his blessing before he dies."
The word 'hairy' in:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 27:11 Jacob said to Rebekah
his mother, "But my brother Esau is a hairy
man, and I'm a man with smooth skin.
and the word 'goat' in:
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 16:7 Then he is to take the two
goats and present them before HaShem at the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
“Hairy” and “goat” are the same Hebrew word.
From an audience of the
Lubavitcher Rebbe with a group of Jewish students:
The
Ten Days of Teshuva (Repentance) which begin with the two days of Rosh Hashana and continue through their culmination, the
Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, are the ten days of the
inauguration of the new year. Between these three solemn days of the year we are given a period of seven days, containing every day of the week; one Sunday,
one Monday, and so forth. This complete week, neither more nor less, is given
to us to enable us to atone and repent for any
wrong deeds accounted for during the previous year, and to better our way of
life in the new year. That we have been given a complete week in which to
accomplish this is significant: Spending Sunday of this week as we should, and
making the most of the time, serves as a repentance and atonement especially
for all the wrong done on all the Sundays of the previous year; the same may be
done on the Monday of this week for all the Mondays of the past year, and so
on.
However, repentance
implies two essential conditions: regret for the past and resolution for the
future. Therefore, this seven-day period is also a means of planned preparation
for the forthcoming year. On the Sunday of this week we should think in
particular of bettering the Sundays of the upcoming new year. This will give us
the strength and ability to carry out and fulfill our obligations on the
Sundays to come. Likewise, with regard to all the other days of this as regards
the forthcoming year.
Yom HaKippurim is the
actual scriptural name for this festival which means the Day of Atonements. The meaning has two connotations to it:
one, that a person repents to HaShem for his sins that he has committed and ask HaShem for his
forgiveness and the other is to ask for repentance from your fellow man for the
sins that you have committed against him.
Since the beginning of
time HaShem has designated and sanctified this day for our atonement. The
following events happened on Yom HaKippurim:
(1) Moses came down from
(2) Also the Kohen Gadol was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies,
the only time any human being was permitted to enter that holiest of all
places.
(3) Lastly, Yeshua came down to Yochanan (John) the Baptist (Dipper)
to do the mikveh.
Moses' descent from Sinai
was one of the supreme moments in Jewish history, because it signified that
HaShem had forgiven Israel for the grievous sin of the Golden Calf. It should not be forgotten that
eighty days before that first day of atonement, the very existence of the
nation was in doubt. Moses had found them prancing around the Golden Calf and
he had smashed the first Tablets. HaShem had expressed His intention to
exterminate the nation and begin a new Jewish race with Moses' offspring. Only
Moses' prayers and then the people's repentance had
saved them from distruction, and his descent from the mountain with the second
Tablets guaranteed that HaShem had indeed forgiven and renewed His intimacy
with
In Matityahu (Matthew) 3,
Yeshua went up from the water when ‘the heavens were opened up and the He saw the Spirit of
HaShem descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, and behold a voice out of the
heavens, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well-pleased."’
There is coming a day
that is called the "great and terrible day of HaShem"[54] where Yeshua is going to take us all out into the
wilderness execute judgment and give out the punishment to both the Jews and Gentiles.[55] Daniel 7:9-10 says that "I kept looking
until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture
was like white snow, and the hair of His head like pure
wool. His throne was ablaze with flames. Its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing and coming out from
before Him; thousands upon thousands were attending Him, and myriads upon
myriads were standing before Him; the court sat and the books were
opened." In Revelation 11:17-19, tells us that '"Lord G-d, the
Almighty, who art and who wast, because Thou has taken Thy great power and hast
begun to reign. And the nations were enraged, and Thy wrath came, and the time
came for the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to Thy
bond-servants the prophets and to the saints and to those who fear Thy name,
the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth." And
the temple of
Book of Jubilees
34:10-19 He [Jacob] sent Joseph to learn about the welfare of his brothers from
his house in the
A prominent element
of the Yom HaKippurim service is the avodah, the poetic description of the
tasks of the High Priest in the Beit
HaMikdash on Yom HaKippurim.
Recounting the service in
the Beit HaMikdash remains profoundly significant for us, since the offering of
a sacrifice was far more than a physical activity.
Every activity carried
out in the Beit HaMikdash is paralleled within the spiritual
sanctuary of every Believer’s heart.
The physical procedure of
offering a sacrifice, for example, is an external
manifestation of a certain process of spiritual growth.
Although the sacrifices
bore spiritual significance throughout the year, their effect was heightened on
Yom HaKippurim, when they were offered by the High Priest
as the emissary of the entire congregation:
Seven
days before Yom HaKippurim the high priest was taken away from his home and
placed in the Chamber of the Counselors, and another priest was prepared to
take his place, in case something should happen to him and he should become
unfit for the service.
The complete service with
all its details is available at: KOHEN.
The Recitation of Selichot -
Penitential Prayers
In the Shulchan Aruch we
have the following:
Orech Chayim 581 We have
a custom to rise before dawn to say penitential prayers
and supplications starting from Rosh Chodesh (the
beginning of the month of) Elul and continuing until
Yom Kippur."
This is the custom of
Sefardi Jews. Ashkenazi Jews begin saying Selichot the Sunday before Rosh
HaShana. However, if Rosh HaShana falls out on either
Monday or Tuesday (as it does this year), They start saying Selichot from the
Sunday of the week preceding Rosh HaShana.
Why is there a custom to
say Selichot, and why begin with Rosh Chodesh?
The Mishna
B'rura writes that Moshe went up to
* * *
Rabbi Ami taught:
"The numerical value of the word haSatan, meaning 'the Satan' in Hebrew is 364 (heh=5, shin=300, tet=9,
nun=50, for a total of 364)." Explains the Ran: "The days of
the solar year are 365; there is one day where the Satan has no permission to
do his thing; that day is Yom HaKippurim".[56]
* * *
One of the most
interesting of the Yom HaKippurim customs, is the custom of touching the sefer
Torah, the Torah scroll, at the neilah, the closing,
service. It is the chance for HaShem's people to
connect with the sign of the covenant, the Torah.
Since the essence of the judgement of Yom Hakippurim is: Did we keep His
covenant with us, then we want to show that we value and keep that covenant by
actually touching the sefer Torah.
All of HaShem's people will be “denying themselves” through fasting, sexual abstinence, not wearing leather shoes, and
focusing on HaShem to the exclusion of all else. HaShem's people will spend all
of Yom HaKippurim worshipping their creator (Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:27).
It is a mitzva to eat and drink heartily (twice the normal
amount) on erev Yom HaKippurim. This mitzva is based on:
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 23:32 It shall be to you a Sabbath
of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month
at evening, from evening to evening shall you celebrate your Sabbath.
A corollary to this
mitzva is the custom to eat fish at breakfast time on
erev Yom HaKippurim.
The Talmud[57] states that just as it is a mitzva to fast on the
tenth of Tishri (Yom HaKippurim), so it is a mitzva to eat on the ninth. This
is derived from:
Vayikra
(Leviticus)
The meal immediately
preceding Yom HaKippurim should be big and joyous.
The challot (braided egg bread) baked for this meal are often formed in the
shape of birds with wings (or to have this figure on top of the challot) to go
along with:
Yeshayah
(Isaiah) 31:4-5 This is what HaShem
says to me: "As a lion growls, a great lion over his prey--and though a
whole band of shepherds is called together against him, he is not frightened by
their shouts or disturbed by their clamor--so HaShem Almighty will come down to
do battle on
Yom HaKippurim never
falls on Sunday, Tuesday, or on Friday, but always on Monday, Wednesday,
Thursday, or on the Sabbath. Rabbi Isaac Eisik of
Koretz, author of Berit Kehunat Olam, wrote: We have learned in the Mishna[58] that some of the things created on the first,
third, and sixth days can become ritually unclean, while nothing created on the
second, fourth, and fifth days can become ritually unclean.
On the first day of Creation, the earth and water were created, and
earthenware vessels and liquids can become ritually unclean. On the second day,
the firmament, in which there is no ritual uncleanliness, was created. On the
third day, the trees were created and wooden vessels can become ritually
unclean. On the fourth day, the lights were suspended in the sky; they have no ritual uncleanliness. On the fifth day
the birds and fish were created, and vessels made from them cannot become
ritually unclean. On the sixth the beasts and the animals and the creeping
things and man were created; and vessels made of their bones and of their skin
can become ritually unclean. Therefore Yom HaKippurim, which is all purity,
falls only on one of the days of cleanliness and purity.[59]
The customary greeting for
the day is:
Gemar Hatimah Tovah.
May you be finally sealed for good
(in the Book of Life).
Every Jew is required to
immerse himself in a mikveh on Erev Yom HaKippurim in
respect for the sanctity of the day and so as to repent and be purified of sin. This practice dates back to the time of the prophets.
It is preferable to put
on white clothing to resemble the ministering angels.[60]
It is also customary to
put on a kittel, which is white and clean, and the garment worn by the dead, as
well. With this example before him, a man's heart becomes submissive and
broken.[61]
When we light the candles
for Yom HaKippurim we say the blessing for lighting the candles and the
Shehekiyanu blessing.
The shofar
is blown to mark the end of Yom HaKippurim, at the end of Neilah - The Closing
Service.
This is the final sealing
of the heavenly gates.
It is customary to begin
your sukkah right after Yom HaKippurim.
In places where citron
sellers are to be found, pious men are accustomed to buy themselves citrons,
palm leaves, and myrtle branches during the Days of Awe
for use during Succoth.
* * *
The following section was
sent to me by Hakham Dr. Yoseph ben Haggai:
The following comments
are from HaRav Nebenzahl: There are a few ways that Rosh
HaShana and Yom Kippurim differ from other Yom
Tovim, festivals. The "shalmei simcha"
sacrifices are not brought on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. The Gemara relates to us that Hallel is not recited as
well: "The ministering angels said before HaShem,
'why do not the Jewish people sing a song before You
on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur?'", "He answered them: 'would it be
possible that the King sits on the throne of judgment with the books of those
destined to live and destined to die before Him and the people of Israel
singing a song before Me?'"[62].
On Rosh HaShana and Yom
Kippurim we do not recite: "bestow upon us, O HaShem, our G-d, the
blessing of Your appointed festivals for life and
for peace, for gladness and for joy". Rav Kook did not greet others with
"chag sameach" on Rosh HaShana and certainly not on Yom Kippur, as we
do not find the term "chag" associated with them anywhere in the
Torah.
There is, however, a
commandment to rejoice on these days, the "Shaagat Aryeh" has a
lengthy discourse on this subject based on a derivation in the text of the
Rambam. One of the reasons offered by Rabenu Yona for the requirement to eat on
Erev Yom Kippurim is to fulfill the mitzva of
"simchat Yom Tov", rejoicing on the festival. The time to fulfill the
mitzva should be on Yom Kippur, yet since we are not permitted to eat then, we
do so on Erev Yom Kippur. In addition to the regular mitzva of "simchat
Yom Tov", we rejoice on Yom Kippurim because we are forgiven for our sins.
This joy shows that our sins worried us, that we are pained by them, that alone
is a reason for HaShem to forgive us. The Zohar
notes that the Erev Yom Kippurim meal is a form of "simcha".
Despite this, excessive
joy on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippurim is forbidden. The joy must be in the form
of "vegilu birada" "rejoice with trembling" (Tehillim
Midrash BEN ISH HAI
Yom Kippur
The Aqedah of Yishaq Abinu
took place on the tenth of Tishri at Minha time, which is Minha time of Yom
Kippur, as is written:
Bamidbar (Numbers) 29:7 And the tenth day of
this seventh month shall be a holy convocation to you and you shall afflict
your souls, no manner of work shall you do.
For this reason, it is of great importance to read
the portion of the Aqedah at the commencement of the Minha prayer on the day of
Yom Kippur. In Imrei Sasson it is written that whoever reads the Aqedah with
great intent, to serve his Creator as did Yishaq Abinu,
will have all his sins forgiven.
During the last hours of the night, the day before
Yom Kippur, Kapparoth, a formula of atonement, is made using chickens or money.
On Ereb Yom Kippurim we prepare ourselves for the
awe-filled day ahead of us. The following are some of the preparations:
If possible, we should eat twice the amount of food we normally would on one day. It is good to eat fish in the morning.
Both men and women go to the Miqweh.
Hattarath Nedarim is made.
Forgiveness is asked of one's parents, teachers,
spouse and acquaintances.
On Yom Kippur, eating and drinking, bathing,
anointing, wearing (leather) shoes, and marital
relations are prohibited.
The wearing of white clothes is again prescribed
for Yom Kippurim and Sepharadim should make every effort to adhere to this. We
are filled with faith and confidence that, through
His abundant mercy, our repentance will be accepted and we will come out of
this day clean and pure like angels. Many Ashkenazim have the Minhagh of
wearing a white shroud (as a reminder of the day of death) over their regular
clothes. Sepharadim do not have this custom.
The evening services start before sunset so that
the Berakha on the tzitzith may be pronounced. In
addition, the Kol Nidre service must be recited before sunset, as the
absolution of vows cannot take place after that time.
Kol Nidre only annuls vows (which for reasons out
of one's control one was unable to keep) between man and HaShem and not man and
his neighbor. Similarly, Yom Kippurim is atonement
for sins between man and his Creator only. As such, prior to Kol Nidre, the
Hazzan should ask the congregation to forgive one another, to which all reply
"Mahalnu", ("We have forgiven").
The Halakhoth connected
with Yom Kippurim are many and far too numerous to be mentioned here. One who
has questions concerning this awesome day and the fast itself should consult a
Hakham.
The entire day should be spent in prayer and repentance. The prayers that one utters
should be said with understanding and one who is unable to do so should, at
least, recite them in a tearful voice.
At the conclusion of the fast, after the blowings
of the Shofar, Arbith should be prayed carefully and
slowly. Every effort must be made not to rush it (in order to get home and eat)
and make this the first sin after our cries and
supplications for forgiveness.
Many communities recite Birkath Hallebanah (the
blessing for the moon) prior to Yom Kippurim and not
after the fast. There are several reasons for this: one of them being the
tendency of some congregations to rush it in order to get home. In addition,
Birkath Hallebanah should be recited after one has tasted some food.
Taken from the writings of Hakham Ya'aqob Manasseh.
© All portions copyright 1997-1998 Midrash BEN ISH
HAI. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
In the Yom HaKippurim prayer service we say the Viduy, a confession, and the
Al Chet, a list of transgressions between man and HaShem and between man and man. It is interesting to note two
things. First, the transgressions are listed in alphabetical order (in Hebrew). This not only makes a comprehensive list, but
gives a framework to include whatever transgression you wish to include under
the proper letter.
Secondly, the Viduy and
Al Chet are stated in the plural. This teaches us that we are one interwoven
people responsible for each other. Even if we did not commit a particular
offense we carry a certain measure of responsibility for those who
transgressed, especially if we could have prevented the transgression.
Tishrei 10 - Yom HaKippurim
Period of teshuvah / repentance day 40.
The Awesome Days / Yami