Yom Kippur
May you be sealed for a good year, John! 25th September 2012
Yom Kippur, the holiest and most solemn the Jewish year, begins tonight asthe sun sets. So important is this holy day that even secular Jews observe it by fastingand refraining from all work, even though they do not keep other Jewish holy days.
Yom Kippur ends tomorrow night with the blowing of the shofar.
Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement)
A time for repentance, prayer and fasting
“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 the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a sabbath of rest [Shabbat Shabbaton], and you must deny
yourselves.” (Leviticus 16: 29-31)
As the sun begins to set tonight, the Jewish People will deny themselves as the Torah commands, and begin a 25-hour fast. It is traditional to greet friends and family with Tzom Kal, which means Easy Fast.
Yom Kippur is a day of rest, and all work is prohibited. This is so important that the Torah calls Yom Kippur the Shabbat Shabbaton (Sabbath of Sabbaths).
The Torah scroll rests on a velvet cover, ready to be unrolledand read to the entire congregation.
Yom Kippur is the culmination of the Ten Days of Repentance that began with Rosh HaShanah, believed to be Judgment Day. On Yom Kippur that judgment, our fate in other words, will be sealed in the Book of Life.
This highest of holy days stands apart as the last day to repent and make amends.
The traditional greeting, therefore, is G’mar Hatimah Tovah
(May You be Sealed for a Good Year)!
The Jewish People gather for prayer at sunrise on Yom Kippur atthe Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.
When the First and SecondTemple stood on the TempleMount, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur to cleanse the people from their sins. Because the HolyTemple no longer stands, the offerings for sin outlined in Leviticus 16 can no longer be offered.
Believers in Yeshua (Jesus), however, can come confidently before God , knowing that His atoning sacrifice cleansed us from our sins.
Unlike the other high priests, Yeshua does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself. (Hebrews 9 :14 )
John, you can rejoice before God this Erev Yom Kippur because through Yeshua, Your Name has been inscribed in the Lamb’s Book of Life!
Today 99% of Jewish People, do not know Yeshua and their names are not yet inscribed in His book.
May you and your family be inscribed in the Lamb’s Book of Life for a happy, healthy, prosperous Jewish New Year!
Jerusalem
May your name be sealed in the Book of Life for a good year John!
If you were here in Israel yesterday, by late afternoon, you would have thought that the Rapture had taken place.
By 2PM all the businesses and shops were closed, not even one gas station was open.The highway police were on patrol with their lights flashing, making sure that all cars were off the roads.
Everyone here in Israel knows that their car could be stoned if they are driving on the Holiest Day of the Jewish year – Yom Kippur!
One of our ministry workers was late driving home from a Jewish village near the city of Nazareth (the place where Yeshua grew up) in the North to the center of the country; and he was the only driver on the highway!Not one car passed by him, and it was now getting dark, as he was rushing home.
The radio in the car could not get a signal, all of the Jewish radio stations had been shut down.
Normally at this time, even on the Shabbat (Sabbath), Israel‘s streets, and highways, are full of cars, but not now. Israel had become a ghost town over the last few hours.
“It was an eerie feeling, as if I could hear a pin drop. It was now 6PM and becoming pitch dark, no one was to be seen. No cars, no people… I could only see the stars and moon shine bright in the sky, as I was racing down the highway.”
If a Christian was in Israel and was not familiar that it was the beginning of Yom Kippur (the Holiest Day in Judaism), they would think that the Rapture had taken place and that they were left behind.
As our ministry worker drove down his street some people who were walking to the synagogue made angry gestures that he was driving.
As he got into his apartment, he apologized that he was late and turned on the TV to catch the news for a minute, before he left for the synagogue to pray, but all local TV stations were shut down.
All you could see on the television screen was a still photo of a Shofar calling the people of Israel to fast and pray.
That was last night, Erev Yom Kippur …
Today is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement!
Biblically speaking, this day is the holiest of the year.
"It shall be a statute to you forever: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and shall do no kind of work, the native-born, or the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you." (Leviticus 16:29)
Here in Israel and in Jewish communities around the world everyone is in their local synagogue. With itsthemes of atonement and repentance, the tenth of Tishri (September 25-26, 2012) is so significant that it's observed by many secular Jews who don't observe other Jewish holidays.
Jews Praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur,by Maurycy Gottlieb, 1878.
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), which began last night at sunset, is a solemn fast day.
On Yom Kippur, for nearly 26 hours, we "afflict our souls" in the following five ways:
Despite that, the observance of this day is characterized by a sense of peace because of our confidence in our relationship with God and His provision for atonement.
Jewish men at the Wailing Wall praying for forgiveness.
Last night, before the sun set, the Jewish People gathered in their synagogues to hear the cantor chant Kol Nidre (All Vows) and recite penitential prayers.
This morning, we returned to our synagogues for the Morning Prayer service in which several sections of the Torah portion are read. The entire Book of Jonah will be read during the afternoon service.
This service concludes shortly before sunset with the Ne'ila (Closing of the Gates)prayer, which is the last moment for repenting before God seals His judgments in His Book.
Yom Kippur will end at nightfall tonight with the blowing of the shofar, and we will return home to enjoy a festive meal. Many of us will also begin building our Sukkah for the holiday of Sukkot, which is just four days away.
Orthodox Jewish man praying Selichot, Jewish penitential prayersand poems, in preparation for Yom Kippur, at the Western(Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.
Yom Kippur During TempleTimes
"Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die." (Leviticus 16:2)
Yom Kippur was the one day in the year that the Cohen HaGadol (High Priest) could enter the Holy of Holies in order to make atonement for the nation of Israel.
In order to minister before the Lord on this holy day, Aharon first bathed in water (immersed himself in the mikvah) and then put on a special linen tunic.
In the Holy of Holies, the high priest was not to wear his usual golden garments, designed for splendor and beauty; instead, he was to wear simple, white linen clothing that represented purity and humility, which befits this most sacred of all days. Many Jewish men wear a kittel, a white robe-likegarment, for evening prayers on Yom Kippur. It is alsoworn on their wedding day.Wearing White on Yom Kippur
Today, many religiously observant Jewish men dress in simple, white linen when attending Yom Kippur services. They also wear rubber soled sneakers instead of leather shoes, in remembrance of Yom Kippur's animal sacrifice.
And women will wear elegant dresses while wearing canvas running shoes.
The rabbis give another reason for wearing white on this holy day. Israel comes before God, not in drab clothing like a penitent sinner, butarrayed in white as if going to a feast, confident that they will be pardoned as they come in sincere repentance.
In the Book of Revelation, we see a connection to the tradition of wearing white and the Book of Life:
"He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels." (Revelation 3:5)
Kapparot is a ritual some Jews perform before Yom Kippur, where achicken is waved over the head three times in order to symbolicallytransfer one’s sins to the chicken. The chicken is then slaughteredand donated to the poor.
Since the HolyTemple is no longer standing and no sacrifices for sin can be offered, those who know Yeshua (Jesus) can trust in the sacrifice that He made for our atonement.
However, 99.9% of the Jewish people today do not believe that Yeshua is the Messiah.
And with no Temple in Jerusalem for the past 2000 years, they have replaced the animal blood sacrifice with prayer (tefilah), repentance (teshuvah), and charity or good deeds (tzedakah).
Perhaps we have to give credit to the Ultra-Orthodox Jews who sacrifice chickens, because they still acknowledge the need for a blood sacrifice, (even though this is not the animal prescribed in the Torah for sacrifice). And as we are now in the End Times, maybe it will be easier for these Ultra-Orthodox Jews to recognize the atoning sacrifice Yeshua accomplished on our behalf as the Messiah.
The Azazel
“But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat.” (Leviticus 16: 10)
On Yom Kippur, the High Priests cast lots for two goats. One was offered as the sacrifice, but the other goat was chosen as the Azazel (the scapegoat).
Azazel is a very special Hebrew noun meaning dismissal or entire removal.
The entire removal of the sin and guilt of Israel is symbolized by the High Priest laying both his hands on the head of this live goat, confessing over it all the transgressions of the children of Israel. The goat would then be released into the wilderness, thus physically carrying the burden of Israel's sin into the wilderness.
The Golden Gate, which is called Sha’ar Harachamim (Gate of Mercy)in Hebrew, is located on the eastern side of the TempleMount. It’sthought that the Azazel was led through this gate to the wilderness.It’s also thought that Messiah will come through this gate. Suleimanwanted to prevent this and had the gate sealed in 1541. A Muslimcemetery was placed in front of it to defile the area. The Azazel and Messiah Yeshua
"He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites-all their sins-and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness." (Leviticus 16:21 ÔÇô22)
There are striking similarities between these verses in Leviticus and those of Isaiah 53:
“And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all├ö├ç┬¬ For He shall bear their iniquities├ö├ç┬¬.” (Isaiah 53:6, 11)
Rabbis of ancient times viewed Isaiah 53 as a Messianic prophecy. Most agreed that it speaks of the Messiah of Israel.
This Messianic prophecy has been effectively hidden from most Jewish people, even those who faithfully attend synagogue services, by omitting the entire chapter from the proscribed selection of Sabbath readings.
Why? Because they so perfectly describe the atonement Yeshua made for us through the sacrifice of his own life as the suffering servant.
This is why we so desperately need to make the Messianic Prophecy Bible available to the Jewish People!
The current rabbinical interpretation of Isaiah 53 proposes that this passage does not speak of the Messiah but it speaks of the nation of Israel.
This interpretation seems to have gained serious adherents only in the 13th century. It is, in truth, a complete lie that is promoted throughout the Jewish community to blind Jewish people from seeing that Isaiah 53 perfectly describes Yeshua who suffered for our sins.
Not all rabbis have agreed with this willfully wrong interpretation. In a strongly worded 14th century commentary, Rabbi Moshe Kohen ibn Crispin responded to this theory:
"[In contrast to those] having inclined after the stubbornness of their own hearts and their own opinion, I am pleased to interpret the parasha [Isaiah 53] inaccordance with the teachings of our rabbis, of the King Messiah and adhere to the literal sense. Thus I shall be free from forced and far-fetched interpretations of which others are guilty."
Moses Alshech, a 16th century rabbi, preacher, and Bible commentator, handled the nation-of-Israel interpretation by ignoring it. He said, "Our rabbis with one voice accept and affirm the opinion that the prophet [Isaiah] is here [chapter 53] speaking of the Messiah."
This Siddur (Jewish Prayer Book) is resting on a table at the WesternWall adorned with a velvet tablecloth that is embroidered with an image ofthe SecondTemple. The fringed garment is a folded tallit (prayer shawl).
Numerous Rabbinic commentators do take for granted that Isaiah 52:13ÔÇô53:12 refers to the Messiah.
The following quotes are gleaned from traditional rabbinic sources, such as the Talmud (oral law):
"He, Messiah, shall intercede for man's sins, and the rebellious, for his sake, shall be forgiven." (Jerusalem Targum on Isaiah 53:12)
"And when Israel is sinful, the Messiah seeks for mercy upon them as it is written, 'By his stripes we were healed', and 'he carried the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors'" (Genesis Rabbah on Isaiah 53: 5, 12).
In a limited sense, however, the claims that Israel has suffered as an azazel ‘scapegoat’ for the nations is true.
Because of the blindness with which the Lord temporarily afflicted Israel with regards to their Messiah, salvation (Yeshua) has come to the Gentiles.
“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happenedto Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in├ö├ç┬¬ and so all Israel shall be saved├ö├ç┬¬. (Romans 11:25-27)
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak comforts a bereaved mother at amemorial service for soldiers who died in the Yom Kippur War, whenIsrael‘s Arab neighbors invaded Israel on the holiest day of the Jewishcalendar, in 1973, while the nation was fasting and in prayer.
A Lasting Atonement
“And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity [avon] of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)
In Hebrew, the word iniquity is avon. This word differs from the Hebrew word for sin which means to fall short and miss the mark as this word is rooted in the Hebrew verb avah meaning to twist and to distort. It signifies an inner crookedness or spiritual state of being bent, in other words perversity, as well as a willful departure from the law (Torah) of God.
While the ordinary sacrifices were limited to atoning for involuntary or unintentional sins, this special sacrifice on Yom Kippur atoned for willful sin.
The blood of bulls and goats can never fully remove sin and iniquity; it can only cover it for a time.
A perfect, absolutely sinless one was required to pay the price for our rebellion and uncleanness. Only Yeshua the Messiah could fulfill this role.
As the Divine Messiah, His body and blood are the Kapparah (atonement) and Korban (sacrificial offering) for our sins. And when He rose on the third day, He revealed the absolute holiness of His life and the effectiveness of His sacrifice on the execution stake for all mankind.
Rabbinic tradition states that on Yom Kippur the Cohen (Jewish priest)wouldtie a scarlet cloth to the horn of the Azazel and that when the sacrifice was fully accepted, the scarlet cloth became white.
This wonderfully symbolized God’s gracious promise in Isaiah 1:18:"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow."
Rabbi with two Torah scrolls in the Aron Kodesh(Torah ark) in the background. Assurance of Atonement for Sin "Sins overwhelmed me, but You atoned for our transgressions." (Psalm 65:3)
The rabbis recognized that every man is in need of atonement for his sins, for it is written, "There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins." (Ecclesiastes 7:20)
A Talmudic story is recorded in which Yohanan ben Zakkai’s disciples gather around his deathbed and find him weeping. They ask, "Rabbi, you are the light of Israel, the pillar on which we lean, the hammer that crushes all heresy. Why should you weep?" In answer, the rabbi confesses that he is afraid to die because he is not sure whether he will end up in heaven or hell.
Although God has provided atonement for all of our sins through the blood of the Messiah Yeshua, many Jewish people today are completely unaware of God’s Plan of Salvation through the Jewish Messiah. A Jewish man prays at the Western(Wailing) Wall, which is at the base of theTemple Mount in Jerusalem, where theHolyTemple once stood and the HighPriest offered the atoning sacrifice onYom Kippur.During this Holiest Day in Judaism the Jewish People are prayerfully thinking about repentance, forgiveness and atonement. Could there be a better time to contemplate the problem of iniquity and sin, and share how Yeshua (Jesus) fulfilled the Messianic prophecies and became the atoning sacrifice?
Today, please make a difference for Eternity this Yom Kippur, and help us reveal Yeshua as the atonement (kapparah) for the Jew first, and also for the non-Jew.
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16)