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Yom
haKippurim is a solemn day about remembering that every
sin we commit is a burden upon Yeshua, who has borne our sins, and accounted to
us His righteousness as a sweet aroma ascending to God.
"And (Aaron) shall take the two goats, and present
them before Yahweh at the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one
lot for Yahweh, and the other lot for Azazel (the scapegoat).
"And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which Yahweh's
lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on
which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive
before Yahweh, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go
for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
"And this shall be a statute for ever to you: that
in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall
afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of
your own country, or a stranger that sojourns among you: For on
that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse
you, that you may be clean from all your sins before Yahweh. It
shall be a Sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your
souls, by a statute for ever." (Leviticus 16:7-)
The singular Yom Kippur / Day of Atonement never occurs in
Scripture.
Two atonements are necessary: forgiveness, which is
preceded by repentance, and purification, which is symbolized
by baptism. Our sins must be covered up (an atonement), and we
must be covered (an atonement) with white garments of
righteousness.
One goat, on which the lot for Azazel fell (the
scapegoat), representatively carried the peoples sins far away
into the wilderness, too far for them to return. It represents
forgiveness in Yeshua. "The God of our fathers raised up
Yeshua, . . . to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of
sins" (Acts 5:30-31).
The other goat, on which the lot for Yahweh fell, became an
elevation offering through burning, going up as a sweet savior
to God. It represents purification through Yeshua -- being born
anew and clothed with light. "For as many of you as have
been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians
3:27).
Torah Reading:
Leviticus 16: 7 And (Aaron) shall take the two
goats, and present them before Yahweh at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon
the two goats; one lot for Yahweh, and the other lot for Azazel
(the scapegoat).
And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which
Yahweh's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall
be presented alive before Yahweh,
to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat
into the wilderness. . . . . 15 Then shall he kill the goat of
the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood
within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood
of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before
the mercy seat: And he shall make an atonement for the holy
place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and
because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall
he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remains among
them in the midst of their uncleanness. And there shall be no
man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goes in to
make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have
made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for
all the congregation of Israel. And he shall go out to the altar
that is before Yahweh, and make an atonement for it; and shall
take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat,
and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall
sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and
cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children
of Israel.
20 And when he has made an end of reconciling the
holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the
altar, he shall bring the live goat: And Aaron shall lay both
his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him
all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their
transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of
the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into
the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their
iniquities to a land not inhabited: and he shall let the goat go
in the wilderness. And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of
the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he
put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them
there: 24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy
place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his
burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make
an atonement for himself, and for the people. And the fat of the
sin offering shall he burn upon the altar. And he that let go
the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his
flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp. And the
bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering,
whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place,
shall one carry forth outside the camp; and they shall burn in
the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung. And he
that burns them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in
water, and afterward he shall come into the camp. And this shall
be a statute for ever to you: that in the seventh month, on the
tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no
work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a
stranger that sojourns among you: For on that day shall the
priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may
be clean from all your sins before Yahweh. It shall be a sabbath
of rest to you, and you shall afflict your souls, by a statute
for ever. And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he
shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his
father’s stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the
linen clothes, even the holy garments: And he shall make an
atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement
for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and
he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the
people of the congregation. And this shall be an everlasting
statute to you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel
for all their sins once a year. And he did as Yahweh commanded
Moses.
Apostolic Reading:
John 1: 19-31 And this is the record of John,
when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask
him, Who are you? And he confessed, and denied not; but
confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then?
Are you Elias? And he said, I am not. Are you that prophet? And
he answered, No. Then they said to him, Who are you? that we may
give an answer to them that sent us. What do you say of
yourself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the
prophet Esaias. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
And they asked him, and said to him, Why do you baptize then, if
you are not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John
answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there stands
one among you, whom you know not; He it is, who coming after me
is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to
unloose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan,
where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming to
him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin
of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man
who is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I did not
know him: but that he should be made known to Israel, therefore
am I come baptizing with water.
ATONEMENTS
Atonement has two basic components: forgiveness, which is
preceded by repentance, and purification, which is symbolized by
baptism.
One goat, on which the lot for Azazel fell (the scapegoat),
representatively carried the peoples sins far away into the
wilderness, too far for them to return. It typifies forgiveness
in Yeshua. The God of our fathers raised up Yeshua, . . . to
give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.- Acts
5:30-31
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our
transgressions from us. - Psalm 103:9
The other goat, on which the lot for Yahweh fell, became an
elevation offering through burning, going up as a sweet savior
to God. It represents purification through Yeshua - being born
anew and clothed with light.
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on
Christ.- Galatians 3:27
Another perspective of atonements, sometimes translated
"coverings," is that God covers our sins, and then covers us
with a robe of righteousness. Blessed are they whose iniquities
are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. - Romans 4:7 Lo, a
great multitude . . . clothed with robes of light. - Revelation
7:9
We are commanded to repent, then learn to walk in righteousness. It
is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4),
and only through His Spirit that we can walk before Him in
righteousness (Romans 8:1-14); there is no merit to be naturally
found in us.
What is repentance?
By definition, sin is that which is contrary to God's
instruction (1 John 3:4 ) and opposite to actions showing faith
in God (Romans 14:23 ). Repentance means returning - to God. It
is shown when one who has transgressed is faced with the
opportunity to repeat the sin and he has the power to do so, yet
he refrains - neither because of fear nor because of weakness -
but because he wishes to turn to God.
How should one repent?
A sinner should abandon his sinfulness, drive it from his
thoughts and conclude in his heart that he will never do it
again (Isaiah 55:7). Additionally, he should regret the past
(Jeremiah 31:18) and he must confess with his lips and declare
those things that he has concluded in his heart. For sins
committed against a fellow man, restitution must (as far as
possible) first be made.
This is an annual rehearsal to remind us to turn and serve our
Saviour with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our
might!
VIDUY / CONFESSION
Our God and the God of our forefathers, may our prayer come
before You. Do not ignore our supplication, for we are not so
brazen and obstinate as to say before You, Yahweh our God and
the God of our forefathers, that we are righteous and have not
sinned - rather, we and our forefathers have sinned.
We have become guilty, we have betrayed, we have robbed, we have
spoken slander. We have caused perversion, we have caused
wickedness, we have sinned willfully we have extorted, we have
accused falsely. We have counseled evil, we have been deceitful,
we have scorned, we have rebelled, we have provoked, we have
turned away, we have been perverse, we have acted wantonly, we
have persecuted we have been obstinate. We have been wicked, we
have corrupted, we have been abominable, we have strayed, You
let us go astray.
We have turned away from Your commandments and from Your good
laws but to no avail. But You are righteous in all that has come
upon us, for You have acted truthfully while we have caused
wickedness.
What can we say before You, Who dwells on high, and what can we
relate to You, Who abides in the highest heavens for indeed,
everything that is hidden and revealed You k now. You know the
secrets of the universe, and the hidden-most mysteries of all
the living. You probe all innermost chambers and test thoughts
and emotions. Nothing is hidden from You and nothing is
concealed from Your eyes. And so may it be Your will, Yahweh our
God and the God of our forefathers, that You atone for us for
all our errors, and You forgive us for all our iniquities, and
You pardon us for all our willful sins.
For the sin that we have sinned before You under duress and
willingly; and for the sin that we have sinned before You
through hardness of the heart.
For the sin that we have sinned before You without knowledge;
and for the sin that we have sinned before You with the
utterance of the lips.
For the sin that we have sinned before You through immorality;
and for the sin that we have sinned before You in public or in
private,
For the sin that we have sinned before You with knowledge and
with deceit; and for the sin that we have sinned before You
through harsh speech.
For the sin that we have sinned before You through wronging a
neighbor; and for the sin that we have sinned before You through
inner thoughts.
For the sin that we have sinned before You in a session of vice;
and for the sin that we have sinned before You
through insincere confession.
For the sin that we have sinned before You by showing contempt
for parents and teachers; and for the sin that we have sinned
before You willfully and carelessly.
For the sin that we have sinned before You by exercising power;
and for the sin that we have sinned before You through
desecration of the Name.
For the sin that we have sinned before You through impure lips;
and for the sin that we have sinned before You through foolish
speech.
For the sin that we have sinned before You with the Evil
Inclination; and for the sin that we have sinned before You
against those who know and against those who do not know.
For all these, O God of forgiveness, forgive us and pardon us
through Yeshua's atonement for us.
For the sin that we have sinned
before You through denial and false promises; and for the sin
that we have sinned before You by subservience through bribery.
For the sin that we have sinned before You through scorning; and
for the sin that we have sinned before You through evil talk.
For the sin that we have sinned before You in commercial
dealings; and for the sin that we have sinned before You with
food and drink
For the sin that we have sinned before You through interest and
extortion; and for the sin that we have sinned before You
through haughtiness.
For the sin that we have sinned before You with the idle chatter
of our lips; and for the sin that we have sinned before You with
prying eyes.
For the sin that we have sinned before You with haughty eyes;
and for the sin that we have sinned before You with brazenness.
For all these, O God of forgiveness, forgive us and pardon us
through Yeshua's atonement for us.
For the sin that we have sinned before You in throwing off Your
yoke; and for the sin that we have sinned before You in
judgment.
For the sin that we have sinned before You through entrapping a
neighbor; and for the sin that we have sinned before You through
a begrudging eye.
For the sin that we have sinned before You through
light-headedness; and for the sin that we have sinned before You
with obstinacy.
For the sin that we have sinned before You with legs that run to
do evil; and for the sin that we have sinned before You by
gossip-mongering.
For the sin that we have sinned before You through vain
oath-taking; and for the sin that we have sinned before You
through baseless hatred.
For the sin that we have sinned before You in the matter of
extending a hand; and for the sin that we have sinned before You
through confusion of the heart.
For all these, O God of forgiveness, forgive us and pardon us
through Yeshua's atonement for us.
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring an
elevation-offering.
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a
sin-offering.
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a
variable-offering.
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a
guilt-offering for a definite or a possible sin.
And for the sins for which we incur lashes for rebelliousness.
And for the sins for which we incur forty lashes.
And for the sins for which we incur the death penalty at the
hands of the Heavenly Court.
And for the sins for which we incur spiritual excision and
childlessness.
And for the sins for which we incur the four death-penalties of
the human court: stoning, burning, beheading, and strangling.
For a positive commandment and for a
negative commandment whether it can be remedied by a positive
act or whether it can not be remedied by a positive act; those
that are revealed to us and those that are not revealed to us.
Those that are revealed to us we have already declared before
You and confessed them to You; and those that are not revealed
to us are revealed and known to You.
As it is said, ‘The concealed sins are for Yahweh our God, but
the revealed sins are ours and our children’s forever, that we
may fulfill the words of this Torah. For You are the Forgiver
and the pardoner in every generation, and beside You we have no
king who pardons and forgives — only You.
My God, before I was formed I was unworthy, and now that I have
been formed, it is as if I had not been formed. I am dust in my
life and will surely be so in my death. Behold— before You I am
like a vessel filled with shame and humiliation. May it be Your
will, Yahweh my God and the God of my forefathers, that I not
sin again. And what I have sinned before You, may You wipe away
with Your abundant mercy, but not through suffering or serious
illness.
My God, guard my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking
deceitfully. To those who curse me, let my soul be silent; and
let my soul be like dust to everyone. Open my heart to Your
Torah, then my soul will pursue Your commandments. As for all
those who oppose me and design evil against me, speedily nullify
their counsel and disrupt their design. May it be Your will,
Yahweh my God and the God of my forefathers, that human jealousy
may not rise up against me, nor my jealousy upon others; may I
not become angry today, and may I not anger You. Rescue me from
the Evil Inclination, and place in my heart submissiveness and
humility. O our King and our God, cause Your Name to be unified
in Your world; rebuild Your city, lay the foundation of Your
House, perfect Your sanctuary; gather in the scattered exiles,
redeem Your sheep, and gladden Your congregation. Act for Your
Name’s sake; act for Your right hand’s sake; act for Your
Torah’s sake; act for Your sanctity’s sake. That Your beloved
ones may be given rest; let Your right hand save, and respond to
me.
May the expressions of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart
find favor before You, Yahweh, my Rock and my Redeemer. He Who
makes peace on high, may He make peace for us and for all
Israel. Amen.
MIKVAH / BAPTISM
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Messiah, let
us go on to perfection; not laying again the foundation of
repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the
doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of the
resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. (Hebrews
6:1-2)
Baptism is a rite representing a change of state to purity,
which is a requirement to meet God at His appointed place, the
Holy Temple. Purity of heart is a requirement to dwell with God
in the renewed Eden of the future.
Who may ascend into the hill of Yahweh? And who may stand in His
holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not
lifted up his soul to falsehood, And has not sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive a blessing from Yahweh And righteousness from
the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who
seek Him, Who seek Thy face — even Jacob. Selah. (Psalm 24:3-6)1
There are seven levels of mikvaot (baptistries) in the Torah,
each for a specific group of ritual uncleanness. John's
baptizing in the Jordan River was for "repentance for the
remission of sins," in the highest level of mikvah -- living
water (a clear spring-fed stream entering the Jordan). This is
normally done during the forty days of repentance prior to Yom
HaKippurim.
We must repent and turn from our sinful ways, then we must
grow in the knowledge and love of God, to walk in His ways.
These are results of the Holy Spirit convicting us of sin and of
Faith in our Savior.
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