All About Yom Kippur

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A All about the festival

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

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

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

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

* Is said to be the highest holy day of the year, often called

“The Day”

* The teshuvah that began on Yom Teruah and continued

through the Ten Days of Awe is sealed and brings

regeneration on this day

v On this day a service took place in the Temple/Tabernacle

that was all about the HaCohen HaGadol, the “high priest”

v On this day the HaCohen HaGadol would enter the Most

Holy Place and make blood atonement for himself, the

priesthood and temple, and all of Israel

v The Sages teach that the fate of each person for the new

year is sealed on this day of teshuvah

v Though fasting is not specially commanded in the Bible to

happen on this day, from the early times Rabbis have

interpreted the biblical command to “afflict yourself” as to fast

(for 25 hours)

v “The High Priest shall bring a bull and two goats as a

special offering. First the bull is sacrificed to [purge the

shrine from any defilements caused my the misdeeds of the

priest and his household. Secondly, one of the goats is

chosen to be sacrificed to purge the shrine of any similar

defilement stimulated by misdeeds of the whole house of

Israel. Finally, the second goat is sent away, not sacrificed,

to cleanse the people themselves. The goat is marked for

“Azazel” and is sent to wonder in the wilderness. Before the

goat is sent out, the high priest lays both his hands upon its

head and confesses over it all the iniquities and

transgressions of the Israelites, and so putting them on the

head of the scapegoat,” from The Seven Festivals of the

Messiah by Eddie Chumney

v The returning of the sin to the Azazel is symbolic of

returning sin back to the evil inclination/the adversary. And

just as the Azazel goat was sent into the wilderness, the

Adversary (may his name be blotted out) will be cast into the

lake of fire (Revelation 19:20.)

v Tradition says that a cord of red wool was tied on the horn

of the scapegoat and on the temple door, if the strip turned

white then the people would know their sins were forgiven. If

the cord did not turn white then Israel would mourn because

their sins were not atoned on that day.

v In the Mishnah it is written that the glory of Yahweh left the

Temple forty years before it was destroyed (at the same time

of Yahshua’s death, resurrection and intercession as the

HaCohen HaGadol). These three things are:

1. The western candles of the Menorah refused to burn

2. The doors of the Temple would open themselves and

not shut

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

crimson red

v The Rabbis of Judaism teach that it was on this day, Yom

Kippur, that Ya’acov heard from his sons of Yoseph’s death.

Accordingly the brothers of Yoseph took the coat of many

colors and dipped it in the blood of a goat.

v It is also taught in the Aggadah that on this day the

second tablets of the Torah were given to Moshe and that

this is the day of Avraham’s circumcision and the day of the

“Akediah” or the binding of Yitz’chak.

v The Mishnah says, “For the sins between man and

Elohim, the Day of Atonement effects atonement, but for the

sins between man and his fellow, the Day of Atonement will

effect atonement only if he has appeased his fellow.”

B Biblical references

v “The He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him,

clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him. He also

tied the ephod to him by its skillfully woven waistband; so it

was fastened on him. He placed the breastpiece on him and

put the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece. Then he

placed the turban on Aaron’s head and set the gold plate, the

sacred diadem, on the front of it, as Yahweh commanded

Moses,” Leviticus 8:7

v “Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn

around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them.

The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around

the hem of the robe. Aaron must wear it when he ministers.

The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy

Place before Yahweh and when he comes out, so that he will

not die,” Exodus 28:33-35

v “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day

of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do

any work—whether native-born or an alien living among

you—because on this day atonement will be made for you, to

cleanse you. Then, before Yahweh, you will be clean from all

your sins. It is a Sabbath of rest, and you must deny

yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance. The priest who is

anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is

to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen

garments and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for

the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all

the people of the community. This is to be a lasting

ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for

all the sins of the Israelite,” Leviticus 16:29-31

v “Yahweh said to Moses, “The tenth day of this seventh

month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and

deny yourselves, and present an offering made to Yahweh by

fire. Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of

Atonement, when atonement is made for you before Yahweh

your God. Anyone who does not deny himself on that day

must be cut off from his people. I will destroy from among his

people anyone who does any work on that day. You shall do

no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the

generations to come, wherever you live. It is a Sabbath of

rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the

evening of the ninth day of the month until the following

evening you are to observe your Sabbath,” Leviticus 23:26-32

v “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of

the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any

work—whether native-born or an alien living among you—because

on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then,

before Yahweh, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a Sabbath

of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance. The

priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high

priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen

garments and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the Tent

of Meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the

community. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is

to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites. And it was

done, as Yahweh commanded Moses,” Leviticus 16:29-34

v The entire chapter of Leviticus 16

v “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given

it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is

the blood that makes atonement for one’s life,” Leviticus

17:11

v “Count off seven Sabbaths of years—seven times seven

years—so that the seven Sabbaths of years amount to a

period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet sounded

everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the

Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land.

Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout

the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each

one of you is to return to his family property and each to his

own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not

sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the

untended vines. For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you;

eat only what is taken directly from the fields,” Leviticus 25:8-10

v “‘On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred

assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work.

Present as an aroma pleasing to Yahweh a burnt offering of

one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all

without defect. With the bull prepare a grain offering of threetenths

of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram,

two-tenths; and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth.

Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the sin

offering for atonement and the regular burnt offering with its

grain offering, and their drink offerings,” Numbers 29:7-11

v “Even now,” declares Yahweh, “return to me with all your

heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your

heart and not your garments. Return to Yahweh your Elohim,

for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and

abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a

blessing—grain offerings and drink offerings for Yahweh your

Elohim. Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a

sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the

assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children,

those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his

room and the bride her chamber,” Joel 2:14-16

v “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,

yet we considered him stricken by Elohim, smitten by him,

and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he

was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us

peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We

all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his

own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all,”

Isaiah 53:4-6

v “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the

chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the

oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your

food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with

shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to

turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light

will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly

appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the

glory of Yahweh will be your rear guard. Then you will call,

and Yahweh will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say:

Here am I,” Isaiah 58:6-9

v The entire chapter of Isaiah 58

v “And I will pour out on the house of David and the

inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication.

They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will

mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve

bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day

the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of

Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land will mourn,

each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of

the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of

Nathan and their wives, the clan of the house of Levi and

their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, and all the rest

of the clans and their wives,” Zechariah 12:10-13

v “Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled

myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me

unanswered,” Psalm 35:13

v “For if, when we were Elohim’s enemies, we were reconciled to

him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been

reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so,

but we also rejoice in Elohim through our Adon Yahshua

HaMoshiach, through whom we have now received reconciliation,”

Romans 10:10-11

v “For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in

every way, in order that he might become a merciful and

faithful high priest in service to Elohim, and that he might

make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he

himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help

those who are being tempted,” Hebrews 2:17-18

v “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be

cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there

is no forgiveness,” Hebrews 9:22

v “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of Elohim is eternal

life,” Romans 3:23

v “Yahshua the Messiah, the Righteous One. He is the

atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for

the sins of the whole world,” 1 John 2:2

v “This is love: not that we loved Elohim, but that he loved

us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins,” 1

John 4:10

v “Elohim presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,

through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his

justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins

committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate

his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one

who justifies those who have faith in Yahshua,” Romans 3:25-26

C Celebration information

v While most biblical holy days are full of things for people to

do, Yom Kippur is about what you don’t do

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

v The Sages have taught that the way to “afflict your souls”

is to withhold from five things: eating and drinking, bathing,

martial relations, wearing leather, and anointing your body.

v The Hebrew phrase for “afflict your souls” is “inul nefesh.”

The word “nefesh” is translated in several verses as “soul”

and in several verses as “appetite.” This is where we learn to

afflict our appetites on this day. See: Proverbs 23,2-3 Psalms

107,9 Proverbs 27,7 Isaiah 56,11

v The Rabbis teach that the fast is for everyone except

those pregnant or nursing and children under 13. It is also

not recommended by the Rabbinics for people in poor health

to completely fast.

v People are not punished by this fast, by this denial of food,

rather this is a freeing time of “deva’choot” or “cleaving” to

Yahweh. It is a time that we can remember that “man shall

not live by bread alone but from every word that comes from

the mouth of Yahweh.”

v It has become a tradition to have a festive meal at home

with family before the fast is to begin and then place a white

tablecloth on the table. The white cloth will remind everyone

of the holiness of the fast. Before the meal the festival

candles are lit. The Encyclopedia Judaica says, “One should

eat and drink well on the eve of the Day not merely to

prepare for the fast but also to fulfill the command to rejoice in

and honor the festive day.”

v Other people also refrain from wearing jewelry, brushing

teeth, or anything that would bring pleasure to the mouth or

the body.

v It is recommended to read Devarim (Deuteronomy) 29:9-

30:30 while fasting.

v To dress in white is customary on this day, to be remindful

of the purity of atonement, “Come now, let us reason

together,” says Yahweh. “Though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as

crimson, they shall be like wool,” Isaiah 1:18

v Many synagogues and worship centers are open all day

for prayer on Yom Kippur.

v The Rabbis teach that on this day the fate of the world is

sealed for the coming year in the book of life.

v It is recommended to cut down on caffeine and sugar

before fasting and also to break the fast with light foods.

Perhaps you could break the fast with some good matzah ball

soup or break the fast with some breakfast!

v The traditional greeting on this day is “gemar hatimah

tovah” which means “may you be sealed in the book of life for

good.”

v At the end of the fast many believers go directly out and

begin building their sukkah, or at least nail two pieces of

wood together as symbolic building of the sukkah.

v One person once said, “Yom Kippur is like a prayer before

a meal. The meal is the whole year to come. So just as you

would not eat during a blessing, you do not eat Yom Kippur.”

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

v At the end of the Yom Kippur services, many synagogues

blast the shofar one last time, called the “Tekiah gedulah.”

This one last long blow of the shofar is to alert people that

Yom Kippur is over and the book of life is now sealed.

v “Neilah” is the traditional Jewish service at the end of Yom

Kippur. The Jewish belief is that the gates of heaven close at

this service and that those who have observed this day have

been inscribed in the book of life. It is during this service that

the tekiah gedulah is sounded. For many Jews atonement

comes from the day while Biblically atonement comes from

the shed blood of the Messiah Yahshua.