JEWISH HISTORY OF FEAST OF ATONEMENT
From the book "The Jewish Festivals" by Hayyim Schauss" published
in 1938.
IN TEMPLE DAYS
The Great Day
During the latter period of the second Temple Yom Kippur was
already the holiest day of the year for all Jews. It was called
"The Great Day" or, more simply, "The Day." Jews in all lands
fasted on that day and spent it entirely in the synagogue,
earnestly praying. Even those Jews who were comparatively
unobservant the rest of the year became very pious on that day,
according to Philo, the Jewish philosopher who lived in
Alexandria a generation before the destruction of the second
Temple.
But, while praying in their synagogues, Jews everywhere
turned their eyes and their hearts to one spot, to the Temple,
where the High Priest conducted the sacred and mystic ceremonies
of the day. For that was the only day of the year on which the
High Priest entered the Holy of Holies. Not in the golden
ceremonial robes of the High Priest did he present himself before
God, but in the linen robes of an ordinary priest.
The High Priest did not ordinarily perform the rites of the
Temple. He showed himself to the people, dressed in his gold
robes, only on Sabbaths, festivals, and New Moons. On Yom Kippur,
however, he became the priest of the sanctuary, and he, himself,
conducted the entire service and confessed to God for his own
sins, for the sins of the other priests, and for the sins of the
entire people of Israel.
Seven days before Yom Kippur the High Priest moved from his
home to his chamber in the Temple. During this week he alone
conducted the service, offered the daily sacrifices, sprinkled
the blood, burned the incense, and tended the lighting of the
Menorah. He did this for seven successive days in order to become
well versed in the details, so that he would make no mistake on
Yom Kippur. In addition, he had to study to read the Torah before
the public; he had to read two portions of the Pentateuch from
the Torah-scroll on Yom Kippur, and recite one portion by heart.
In the last century before the destruction of the Temple the
High Priest was more often a noted politician than a learned man.
Therefore, learned members of the Sanhedrin would tutor him
during the week before Yom Kippur, teaching him what was
necessary.
But before continuing with the proceedings of the Yom Kippur
service, let us spend some time on a tour of the Temple.
A Tour of the Temple
A new, a third Temple, was constructed during the time of
which we speak. The second Temple, the one that was erected under
the leadership of Zerubbabel in the beginning of the Persian
world dominion, was small and poorly constructed of ordinary wood
and stone. It stood for about five hundred years, until Herod
demolished it and erected a larger and grander structure on the
site. Due to the fact that no enemy destroyed Zerubbabel's
Temple, that it was removed only to make way for a much more
beautiful building, the new Temple was also referred to as the
second Temple.
Decades after Herod's Temple was finished the work of
beautifying it went on. More than eighty years passed before it
was entirely completed, with all its adornments, a comparatively
few years before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. The
completed Temple, therefore, stood only a little while before it
was burned down by the Roman army under Titus. This Temple of
Herod is the one we are to observe.
The Temple glistens in the distance and makes a clear
impression, for it is built of the finest of white marble,
snowlike in its purity. It is covered with thick golden plates.
When the sun shines on these a fiery glow comes forth, and the
Temple looks like a mountain of snow, from which issue golden
flames.
We approach the Mount of the Temple now. This holy mount
rises on a series of broad terraces, flat mounds that rise
regularly above each other. On the topmost terrace stands the
altar, and above it rises the House of God. Only priests are
allowed in the front room of the House of God, and then only in
the performance of the services; beyond is the rear room, the
"Holy of Holies," where only the High Priest may enter, and only
one day of the year, Yom Kippur.
The entire structure is encircled by a very broad wall and
is quite similar to a fortress. The wall is studded with high
points and staunch towers. On all four sides of the wall there
are gates leading into the Temple. We enter one of these gates
and approach a colonnade, four rows of marble pillars, surmounted
with cedar. There are many colonnades in the Temple but the one
under which we now stand is the largest and loveliest. It is
called the Regal Colonnade and has one hundred and sixty-two
marble pillars.
We enter a second colonnade and see souvenirs of victories:
swords, armor, and flags that Jewish armies once brought back
from battlefields as mementoes of victory. We lift our eyes,
however, and are deterred from all thoughts of war and victory;
over the main gate hangs a golden Roman eagle as a symbol of the
sovereignty of Rome over Jerusalem. No matter where we look, the
reflection of that eagle shines from the white marble of the
walls and from the polished stones of the floor. Amongst these
colonnades are rooms for the Levites and rooms for the sages,
where those with great knowledge of God's Torah sit and study
with their pupils.
From the covered colonnades we step into the great, open
outer court, plastered with vari-colored stones. All may enter
this court, even non-Jews. It is immense in size, larger than any
of the other courts.
We pass through the outer court and come to a stone fence.
This is the boundary line beyond which non-Jews may not pass.
Stone tablets surmount this fence, telling us, in Latin and in
Greek, that no outsider may go further, under penalty of death.
Beyond this fence we climb fourteen stairs and come to a flat
terrace, about ten yards wide. We then mount more steps and come
to the gate leading to the inner court. There are many gates to
this inner court on the north and south; but we enter through the
great double gate in the east. The other gates are covered with
gold plates, but the great eastern gate has no covering, for it
is made of costly bronze, that shines even brighter than gold. It
is called "Nicanor's Gate," after a rich Egyptian Jew who
presented it to the Temple as a gift. The golden plates on the
other gates are also a gift, from a rich Alexandrian Jew.
Nicanor's Gate is so large that when it is shut every evening
twenty men are needed to push together the heavy doors and to
shove the bolts and bars into the stone threshold. In all, two
hundred men are employed in the daily opening and shutting of the
gates of the Temple.
We pass through Nicanor's Gate into the inner court, the
Court of the Women, which is a square area of over two
hundred feet square. Men may enter the Court of the Women, but
women may not enter the Court of the Men, which is further on in
the Temple. High balconies, however, are provided for the women,
and from these they can observe the ceremonies in the inner
courts. There are four rooms in the corners of the Court of the
Women, open to the skies. One is for the use of Nazarites, men
under oath not to touch wine, nor cut their hair. The second room
is a storehouse for wood. Here sit those priests who are
disqualified, because of physical defects, from service at the
altar of the Temple. But they may do other work, and they sit
examining the pieces of wood designed for the altar, discarding
those with even the tiniest worm-hole, for only perfect wood may
be used in the fire of the altar. The third room is reserved for
lepers who have come to the Temple to become cleansed. In the
fourth room wine and oil are stored.
We pass through the Court of the Women and come to a flight
of fifteen steps, built in the form of an amphitheatre. Above
these stairs is the wall that separates the women from the Court
of the Men. We go through another gate and enter the Court of the
Men, which encircles the Temple on three sides. The greatest and
loveliest sight that a Jew can behold now appears before us: the
great altar of uncut stones and behind it the House of God
itself. The altar is quite large, and has four points that are
like horns. An eternal fire burns there, a fire that must never
be extinguished.
Only half of the Court of the Men is available for the use
of laymen. A low fence runs through the center of the court and
only the priests may venture beyond it. This area is known as the
Court of the Priests.
On both sides of the Court of the Priests are the treasuries
of the Temple. To the right of the altar is the slaughter area,
with twenty-four rings to tether the sacrificial animals. Behind
are eight small posts, with three rows of hooks on each one, to
hang the slain animals, and eight marble tables on which the
inners of the sacrifices are washed. In addition there are tables
for the altar utensils and for the dismembered bodies of the
animals. There is also a bronze wash-basin in which the priests
bathe their hands and feet.
Along the walls of the Court of the Priests are built
several halls: the hall in which the Sanhedrin meets; the hall in
which the High Priest lives the week before Yom Kippur; the rooms
in which the priests dress and bathe, and various other halls and
rooms.
Through a very high opening, without doors, the priests go
from their court to the Ulam, the porch of the House of God.
Another door leads from the porch, which is beautifully decorated
in gold, into the front room of the House of God. The door is
open, but a heavy, colored curtain hangs over it. Over this door
hangs a gigantic, golden grape-vine. It is supported by cedar
balconies and spreads its branches under the cornices of the
porch. Rich Jews coming from distant lands make contributions to
this vine, a gold grape or a gold leaf or such, till it seems as
if the vine will break beneath the mass of the golden fruit
hanging from it.
Twice a day priests pass through the porch and into the
sanctuary for the daily services. They pass into a long room, the
walls of which are decked in gold, but which is dark and
window-less. The only light comes from the golden Menorah, in
which seven oil wicks burn. Opposite the Menorah stands the
golden table bearing the twelve loaves of showbread. Between
these two objects stands the golden altar on which incense is
burned twice a day.
Beyond the Anteroom is the Holy of Holies, the greatest
sanctuary of all, separated from the rest of the Temple by two
drapes. Only one day a year, on Yom Kippur, are these hangings
removed for the entry of the High Priest. It is a pitch-black,
empty room. The only object in the room is a stone, three fingers
high, which is called the "Foundationstone."
The entrance of the High Priest into the Holy of Holies was
the main event in the ceremonies and ritual of "the Great Day.
The High Priests
During the first three hundred and fifty years of the second
Temple the high priesthood belonged to one family and descended
by succession. This family based its superiority on the fact that
it descended from Zadok, the first priest in the Temple of
Jerusalem when it was built by Solomon. The line extended thus
until the time of Antiochus Epiphanes.
When the Hasmoneans won over the Greek forces they became
the rulers of the Jewish country. But it was not possible, in
those days, to just set one's self up as ruler over the Jews.
Rulership was vested in the High Priest. But since the Hasmoneans
were of the priestly caste, they had no trouble on that score.
They founded a new dynasty of High Priests and set on their own
heads a double crown, that of the High Priest and that of the
King.
After the fall of the Hasmonean kingdom, when Palestine
became a province of Rome, the high priesthood became more of a
political than a religious position. The Romans refused to permit
the descent of the high priesthood from father to son, for they
were unwilling to set up a dynasty of High Priests. For this
reason a new High Priest was appointed at intervals. Not every
priest could attain to this high position. There were, in
Jerusalem, a few aristocratic priestly families, and members of
these families were the regular candidates, securing the position
through political influence or through bribery. It obviously was
worthwhile to become High Priest, for it was a position that
brought power and riches. The High Priest of those days was
officially the religious head of the Jewish people, the master of
the Temple, and the leader of the Sanhedrin. As such he was the
ruler of Jerusalem and of all Palestine, insofar as the Jews had
autonomy under the Roman rule.
But despite the fact that the High Priests of those days
were not spiritually great and the real spiritual leaders of the
people were the scribes, the heads of the Pharisees, the
observance of the service in the Temple was not weakened. On the
contrary, the services were never carried out more precisely or
with greater grandeur and impressiveness than in the period
before the destruction of the Temple. And of all the services of
the year there was none as richly mystical and impressive as the
Yom Kippur service.
The Day before Yom Kippur
The High Priest stands at the eastern gate of the Temple in
the morning. The various animals that he will offer are led
before him for final examination before the service of sacrifice.
Jews prepare themselves for the Great Day. They beg forgiveness
of each other and remind themselves of sins they committed in the
course of the year; they are regretful and penitent. But one, the
High Priest, makes greater preparations than all others.
Religious awe fills his heart as he thinks of entering the
Holy of Holies. He also fears that through some accident he may
be disqualified. Should that happen, his understudy would have to
conduct the services of "the Great Day." The understudy is
therefore also prepared and ready for the occasion.
Yom Kippur Eve
The sun is about to set. The daily Temple service is
finished. A sanctified peace rests over the Mount of the Temple.
Jews feast hugely in preparation for the coming fast. The High
Priest, however, is not allowed much food, lest it make him
sleepy. On this night he must not sleep. The learned sages of the
Sanhedrin, who have been tutoring him all week in the order of
the service, make him vow not to depart from it in any detail.
They turn him over to the elders of the priesthood and leave.
These priests lead him to the room of the incense-makers, where
he practices gathering incense into his palms, so that they be
full, and yet not overflow.
Yom Kippur Night
Various means are used to keep the High Priest from falling
asleep. Portions of the latter books of the Bible are read to
him, or, if he can, he reads and gives interpretations. These
books of the Bible are less known than others and are therefore
calculated to arouse more interest and drive away the desire for
sleep. Should the High Priest still drowse, a group of young
priests stand about him, snapping their fingers, and he is made
to stand with his bare feet on the cold stone. They also sing
Psalms to him. In one way or another he is kept awake.
The respectable and pious Jews of Jerusalem also stay awake
that night, as do many in the provinces outside of Jerusalem
Ordinarily, preparations for the Temple service begin at dawn,
but for this occasion the preparations are started in the middle
of the night. Long before the cock has crowed, the court of the
Temple is filled with people. In the meantime priests, stationed
on the roof of the Temple, look for the first light of dawn. When
the light is sufficient for them to see Hebron between the hills
to the southeast they call out, "The light of morning has reached
Hebron." And the service begins.
Attiring the High Priest
First the High Priest is conducted to the bath house. The
High Priest bathes himself five times on this day; in addition,
he washes his hands and feet ten times. These bathings and
washings are performed in a special room in the Temple, near the
Court of the Priests. The first bath, however, the one in the
morning, takes place outside of the innermost court, beyond the
water tower.
Each time he bathes a curtain of byssus (costly linen) is
spread between him and the people. He doffs his ordinary raiment,
bathes, dons the golden vestments, washes his hands and feet in a
golden basin, and starts the daily sacrifice. He performs it in
his golden robes, and the congregation stands enthralled at the
sight. From their point of observation, the High Priest is a
glowing spectacle, with his golden diadem, the precious gems on
his breast, and the golden bells which hang on the hem of his
purple robe and which tinkle with every movement that he makes.
He then goes into the anteroom in order to burn the incense on
the golden altar, and to put the lamps of the Menorah in order.
This ends the regular daily service; now comes the special Yom
Kippur service, for which the High Priest dons garments of white
linen.
He is led to the bathhouse near the Court of the Priests. He
washes his hands and feet, divests himself of his ceremonial
golden robes, bathes himself, puts on the garments of white
linen, and again washes his hands and feet.
The Temple Service
And now, when the High Priest enters the court in simple
white, he makes an even stronger impression on the assemblage
than when he appeared in gold. The young bull that is destined
for the sacrifice stands ready between the porch and the altar.
The High Priest lays his hands on the bull's head and recites the
first confessional:
"I beseech Thee, O Lord! I have sinned, I have been iniquitous, I
have transgressed against Thee, I and my household. I beseech
Thee, O Lord, pardon the sins, iniquities and transgressions
which I have committed against Thee, I and my household, as it is
said: 'On this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse
you; from all your sins shall ye be clean before the Lord.'"
Three times in this prayer does the High Priest expressly
pronounce the mystic and ineffable name of God, Yhwh. In all, he
pronounces God's explicit name ten times during the Yom Kippur
service. And as the ineffable name of God is pronounced by the
High Priest the assembled priests and worshipers prostrate
themselves and call out, "Blessed be the Name, the glory of His
kingdom forever and ever."
The first part of the special Yom Kippur service is held in
the area between the porch of the Temple and the altar. The
second part, which starts now, is performed on the eastern side
of the altar, nearer to the assembled congregation.
The Sacrificial Goats
East of the altar two goats stand ready, with their heads
toward the sanctuary. Both are of equal size, the same
appearance, and cost an equal sum of money. In an urn next to
them are two golden tablets, identical in every detail, except
that one is inscribed, "For Yhwh," and the other is inscribed,
"For Azazel."
The white-robed High Priest proceeds to the eastern side
.........................
To be continued
Note:
Are you noticing all the "religious" pomp - the movements, the
preparations, the mind-set even, of the Priests and the religious
people of Judah, as they prepare for and anticipate this very
important day in their calendar of Festivals. Try to put yourself
into their sandals as you read through this discription by the
author. Very pious, very godly ..... well you would think so ....
Then read Matthew 23; Mark 7; the gospel of John, and also think
of other times when Jesus denounced the scribes, Pharisees and
Sadducees, in no uncertain manner. Ah, do you get the picture
now? When put in this context of the ministry of Christ, weeelll,
you should see that "outward" signs of "godly religion" can be
one of the greatest deceptions that Satan uses to deceive people
into thinking they are "spiritually pure" - right will God, part
of His children. The plain truth is that religious form,
expresion, sanctimonious words, hymn singing, putting on
religious air, having a fancy physical place to worship in,
having hundreds attend the service .... when the rubber hits the
road with God, all of it is useless. It is all DUNG to God if you
are not worshipping Him in "spirit and in truth" as Jesus said
the Father seeks such people who come to worship Him.
Outward form and words mean nothing if you do not seek to know
the true God in "spirit and in truth." Spirit is the contrite
humble mind, willing to be taught and corrected, loving truth
above everything else. Bible studies can be done on the words
"humble" "correction" "instruction" "love" "truth." And truth
.... that is the Word of God (John 17:17), searching it, reading
it from cover to cover, living by it, conducting your life around
and within the teachings of the Bible.
As you continue to read through this outward form of the Jews on
the Feast day of Atonement, remember, all they did scored NO
points with God, their false self-righteous mind-set only made
their deception more deceptive, and it all ended with Jesus
finally blasting them with the words recorded in Matthew 23.
Keith Hunt
History of Feast of AtonementOutward form can be in vain!
Continued from previous page:
of the altar escorted by two priests. The priest who acts as his
understudy walks to his right and on his left is the
representative of the subdivision of priests appointed for the
service on this day. The High Priest shuffles the tablets in the
urn, withdraws them, and places one on the head of each goat. He
calls out, "A sin offering for Yhwh," and the congregation
answers, "Blessed be the Name, the glory of His kingdom forever
and ever."
It is a good omen if the tablet marked "For God" comes up in
the High Priest's right hand. But in this period, year after
year, the tablet marked "For Azazel," has come up in the right
hand. Fear grips the heart of the people. And when the Jews learn
of it they pray to the Almighty to help the Temple and the holy
city.
When the lot is decided the High Priest ties a red sash on
the horns of the Azazel goat, the scapegoat for the people. The
other goat will be sacrificed to God. The scapegoat faces the
assembled congregation who stare at him and await the ritual by
which the sins of the people will be loaded upon him and he will
be driven out, deep into the wilderness.
This ends the second part of the Yom Kippur service and now
begins the third and most awesome service of the day, when the
High Priest enters the Holy of Holies.
In the Holy of Holies
The High Priest goes back to the area between the porch and
the altar, where the young bull is tethered, places his hands on
the animal and once more confesses, reciting the same prayer as
before. But now he also confesses the sins of the priests, and
when he says, "I and my household," he adds "and the sons of
Aaron, thy holy tribe."
Again the assembly prostrates itself and calls out, "Blessed
be the Name, the glory of His kingdom forever and ever."
After this second confessional the High Priest slaughters
the bull, gathering the blood in a basin which he hands to a
waiting priest. It is the duty of this priest to keep stirring
the blood, so that it does not coagulate.
The High Priest walks up the ramp leading to the altar and
fills a golden fire-pan with burning coals; he then pours
handfuls of incense into a golden ladle and, in this way, with
the fire-pan in his right hand and the ladle in the left, he
proceeds slowly into the Holy of Holies. He enters between the
two drapes and, apart from everybody, he stands in the somber
dimness of the Holy of Holies, barely illuminated by the burning
coals in the fire-pan.
Filled with pious awe and fear, the High Priest places the
fire-pan on the "Foundation-stone" and pours the incense upon it.
The Holy of Holies is filled with smoke. The High Priest retires
into the anteroom and there offers prayers for the coming year.
The people in the court pray at the same time, quietly, but with
great fervor.
Finally, the High Priest emerges from the House of God and
enters the court. Great relief is felt by all present, for it is
a fearful thing, all believe, to be so near to God, in His holy
dwelling.
There is no rest for the High Priest. He takes the basin of
blood from the priest who is still stirring it, goes back into
the Holy of Holies, and sprinkles the blood upon the drape, once
above and seven times below, counting as he sprinkles: "One, one
and one, one and two, one and three, one and four, one and five,
one and six, one and seven." He counts the sprinkling he made
above with every one he makes below. He then returns to the
anteroom and places the basin on a golden stand.
The goat destined as a sacrifice for God is now brought to
him. He slaughters it, gathers the blood in a basin, enters the
Holy of Holies for the third time, sprinkles the blood and goes
back into the anteroom, where he places the basin on another
golden stand. He then sprinkles the drape from the outside, first
with the blood of the bull, and then with the blood of the goat.
He then mixes the blood of the two animals and sprinkles it on
the golden incense-altar in the anteroom; what is left he pours
on the cornerstone of the great altar outside.
The Scapegoat
The ceremonial for forgiveness of sins committed against the
sanctuary is thus completed, and the symbolic ceremony of
transferring the sins of the entire people to the Azazel is now
begun. This ceremony is not as awesome as the preceding ritual.
There is, in fact, an undercurrent of joy, and the congregation
is alive with interest.
The scapegoat has been standing all this time in the same
place, and one would think he himself was waiting for the burden
of sin to be placed upon him. The High Priest now approaches the
goat and lays his hands upon him. As the representative of the
Jewish people he now makes the third confessional, similar to the
other two. But this time, instead of pronouncing, "I and my
household and the sons of Aaron, Thy holy tribe," he says, "Thy
people, the House of Israel." The High Priest faces the sanctuary
throughout the three confessionals. But, as he pronounces the
concluding words, "before the Lord ye shall be clean," he turns
and faces the people as he recites, "Ye shall be clean."
Again the worshipers prostrate themselves and call out, "Blessed
be the Name, the glory of His kingdom forever and ever."
Now comes a lively and interesting scene. Priests lead the
scapegoat through a gate of the Temple and hand him over to a
priest or Levite who had previously been selected. A great crowd
forms about them shouting, "Hurry and go, hurry and go."
The goat is led to a specified spot about ten miles beyond
the city, where a precipitious cliff overhangs a ravine. Prior to
Yom Kippur ten booths were erected as stations along the way.
Food and drink is available in each booth for the escorter
of the scapegoat, for he may break his fast if the journey
weakens him. But he never does break his fast. A group of Jews
escort him from the Temple to the first booth, and in each booth
there is somebody to meet him and escort him to the next booth.
He is not escorted, however, all the way to the cliff, his escort
stopping and watching from afar.
When man and goat come to the cliff the red sash is removed
from the goat's horns and divided in two. One part is attached to
the cliff and the other half tied to the horns of the goat, which
is then pushed over the cliff, life passing out of him as he
falls into the ravine.
The news that the scapegoat is in the wilderness is quickly
brought to the High Priest. Meanwhile he has sacrificed the young
bull and the second goat on the altar; he now begins the reading
of the Torah.
The Torah Reading
The Yom Kippur service is almost, but not quite, completed.
There are various items the High Priest must still attend to.
First he chants with great pomp those portions of the
Pentateuch that deal with Yom Kippur. This takes place in the
synagogue which is in the Temple.
The sexton" of the synagogue presents the Torah-scroll to
the head of the synagogue; he presents it to the High Priest's
understudy who, in turn, presents it to the High Priest. The High
Priest reads two portions of Leviticus from the scroll. He reads
and the congregation listens attentively reflecting on how fine
the words sound as they are chanted by the High Priest.
He rolls the scroll together and, holding it to his heart,
he says to the congregation, "Much more than this, that I have
read to you, is inscribed here." He then recites the portion of
the Book of Numbers that he learned by heart, says eight
benedictions, and the ceremony of the reading of the Torah is
completed.
The Service Ends
The High Priest then washes his hands and feet, doffs the
white linen garments, bathes himself, dons the golden robes,
again washes his hands and feet, and offers the Musaf (the
additional) sacrifice for Yom Kippur. Again he washes his hands
and feet, removes his golden robes, bathes himself, puts on the
white robes, washes his hands and feet again, and enters the Holy
of Holies for the last time to remove the fire-pan and the ladle.
This concludes the special Yom Kippur service. But the High
Priest has further duties. He now performs the regular service
which is performed daily in the Temple, toward sunset. For this
he again goes through the washing and bathing process, changing
back to the gold robes, washes his hands and feet again and
enters the anteroom, where he burns the incense on the golden
altar and lights the lamps of the Menorah.
Now the High Priest's work is really ended for the day. For
the last time he washes, changes his golden robes for his
everyday clothing, and sets out for his home. But not alone. A
crowd of people escort him, pushing and shoving for the honor of
walking close to him.
Towards Evening
All is lively and joyous on the streets of Jerusalem. People
go about, light of heart after the fast, and prepare themselves
for the joyous holiday of Sukkos. Every household is festive. But
the greatest festivity takes place at the home of the High
Priest. A group of priests of the higher caste and the
aristocrats of the city have come to greet him. The house is
full, and all partake of a luxurious feast, and frolic till late
in the night.
After the Destruction
The destruction of the second Temple brought an end to the
Yom Kippur service as practiced in the Temple, with its symbolic
rituals of forgiveness. But Yom Kippur did not lose its
importance in Jewish life. Even before the Temple was destroyed
Yom Kippur no longer depended entirely on the High Priest and the
special service that he conducted in the sanctuary.
Had Yom Kippur remained a holiday on which the High Priest
alone begged forgiveness for the sins of the people, it would
never have survived the destruction of the Temple. But Yom Kippur
had already gone through a long period of evolution; the people
continually took an ever greater part in the observance of the
day. Thus its importance grew outside of the Temple.
It has already been stated that while the Temple still
stood, in the last period before its destruction, Yom Kippur had
become the Great Day for Jews of the entire world, a day of
fasting and prayer in the synagogues. The day continued this
character after the destruction of the Temple. There was no
longer the special Temple service nor a High Priest to act as
intermediary between man and God. But Jews continued to observe
the day, without any intermediary, addressing themselves directly
to God through prayers and confessions.
Characteristic of the attitude of the Jews in Palestine to
Yom Kippur after the destruction of the Temple is the following
tale from the Talmud:
Rabban Jochanan ben Zakkai, together with his pupil, Rabbi
Joshua, once stood gazing at the ruins of the Temple. And Rabbi
Joshua said, "Woe to us, that the place where Jews were forgiven
for their sins is destroyed." To which Rabban Jochanan answered,
"My son, regret it not. We have another medium, just as good, for
the forgiveness of sin. It is: Do good to mankind. For it is
written: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'"
In this way Jews at the time of the second destruction of
Jerusalem were prepared, through their religious ideals, and with
the religious ceremonies they had evolved for their homes and the
synagogue, to carry on without the Temple service.
But Jews did not forget the Yom Kippur ritual of the Temple
and the remembrance of it forms the most interesting part of the
Yom Kippur services. The order of the Temple ceremonial is
recited, and made dramatic and vivid in its rendition by the
cantor and the congregation. The three confessionals of the High
Priest are recited, the sprinkling of the blood is counted, the
congregation prostrates itself and, in its thoughts, relives the
ceremonial of Yom Kippur in the Temple.
The religious content of the day became so profound, and the
synagogue ritual became so rich, that Yom Kippur has remained
till this very day the greatest day in the Jewish year.
........................
And with all its ritual, pomp, fasting, prayers, and ceremony, it
is useless to the Jews today without Christ, the atonement
sacrifice. It is just another lesson that without worshipping God
in "spirit and in truth" all pious and outwardly righteous
looking religion is hollow and vain. Yes, it's shocking to some to
learn that you can have an outward form of religion, ceremony,
words, hymns, and what may seem like worship towards God, yet do
it all in vain. Jesus the Christ, in the Gospels, said it could
well be worship in vain. YOU need to fear the Word of the Lord,
not the religions of men. YOU need to be a serious student of the
Bible, searching for its truths, growing in grace and knowledge,
proving all things, and holding fast to that which is good. YOU
need to be earnestly contending for the faith once delivered to
the saints. YOU need to be doing what Jesus said we should do -
living by every word of God (Mat.4:4).
Certainly this solom fast day of the Feast of Atonement is a time
to meditate on what I have just said. The world one day, in the
plan of God, will be at one with Him, and then the people of the
earth will come to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Keith Hunt
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