What is the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)?

Response

The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27-28), also known as Yom Kippur, was the most solemn holy day among all the Israelite feasts and festivals, occurring once a year on the tenth day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. On that day, the high priest was to perform elaborate rituals to atone for the sins of the people. Described in Leviticus 16:1-34, the atonement ritual began with Aaron, or subsequent high priests of Israel, entering the holy of holies. The seriousness of the day was emphasized by God instructing Moses to warn Aaron not to enter the Most Holy Place whenever he wanted; he could only enter on this specific day once a year, or else he would die (v.2). This was not a ceremony to be taken lightly, and the people were to understand that atonement for sin was to be carried out according to God’s instructions.

Before entering the tabernacle, Aaron was required to bathe and wear special garments (v. 4), then offer a bull as a sin offering for himself and his family (v. 6, 11). The blood of the bull was to be sprinkled on the ark of the covenant. Following this, Aaron was to bring two goats, one to be sacrificed “because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins may have been” (v. 16), and its blood was sprinkled on the ark of the covenant. The other goat was designated as a scapegoat. Aaron would lay his hands on its head, confessing over it the rebellion and wickedness of the Israelites, and then send the goat away with a chosen man who would release it into the wilderness (v. 21). The goat bore all the sins of the people, which were forgiven for another year (v. 30).

The symbolic importance of the ritual, especially for Christians, is evident in the purification and cleansing of the high priest, the man who released the goat, and the man who took the sacrificed animals outside the camp to burn the carcasses (v. 4, 24, …

26, 28). Israelite washing ceremonies were required frequently throughout the Old Testament and symbolized the necessity for humanity to be cleansed of sin. However, it was not until Jesus came to make the “once for all” sacrifice that the need for cleansing ceremonies ceased «who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. », (Hebrews 7:27). The blood of bulls and goats could only atone for sins if the ritual was continually performed year after year, whereas Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient for all the sins of all who would ever believe in Him. When His sacrifice was completed, He declared, “It is finished” «When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. », (John 19:30). He then sat down at the right hand of God, and no further sacrifice was ever needed (Hebrews 10:1-12).

The sufficiency and completeness of Christ’s sacrifice is also evident in the two goats. The blood of the first goat was sprinkled on the ark, ritually appeasing the wrath of God for another year. The second goat carried the sins of the people into the wilderness where they were forgotten and no longer clung to the people. Sin is both propitiated and expiated in God’s way—only through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Propitiation is the act of appeasing the wrath of God, while expiation is the act of atoning for sin and removing it from the sinner. Both are achieved eternally by Christ. When He offered Himself on the cross, He appeased God’s wrath against sin, bearing that wrath upon Himself: “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” «MuchMore than that, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” (Romans 5:9). The removal of sin by the second goat was a living parable of the promise that God would remove our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12) and that He would remember them no more (Hebrews 8:12; Hebrews 10:17). Jews today still celebrate the annual Day of Atonement, which falls on different days each year in September-October, traditionally observing this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer. Jews also often spend most of the day in synagogue services.