Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement

“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

The Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur in Hebrew is one of the most important holidays for Israel.  Biblically speaking, the primary purpose of Yom Kippur was to purify the tabernacle.  However, after the destruction of the temple, this foundational Torah teaching gave way to the belief that the Day of Atonement was just to atone for the sins of Israel. 

The above Scripture (Leviticus 16:2) has G-d instructing Moses to tell his brother Aaron that he should by no means consider entry into the most Holy place to be a frivolous matter whereby he can just go in and out whenever he pleases.  It should be noted that this scene follows shortly on the heels of the Abihu and Nadab incident. If you recall, these two brothers of Aaron were burned alive for offering strange fire to the L-rd.  This shocking incident should effectively underscore how dangerous and immense the responsibilities of a priest were and even more so for the high priest.  Let us now take a look at the specific steps required of the high priest to gain entry into the Holiest of Holies.

First Step (Preparations):

Aaron, the high priest, in order to atone for his own sins, must bring a young bull for a hataat (sin offering) and a ram for an olah (a burnt offering).

Second Step (Preparations):

He is to bathe in living water (water that comes from a moving source such as a river) and then change from his normal priestly wear to all-white linen tunic with linen undergarments. He is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban.

Step Three (preparations):

He is to receive two male goats and a ram from the people of Israel to atone for the people of Israel. One of the goats will be chosen to be a hata-at (sin offering), the other will be kept alive to be sent out into the wilderness as a scapegoat and the ram will for an olah (the burnt offering).

Step Four (Implementation):

Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household.

Step Five (Preparation just before entering the Holy of Holies):

Just before entering the Holy of Holies, he is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense.

Step Six (Entering the Holy of Holies):

He is to enter the Holy of Holies and put the incense on the fire before the Lord.  This will result in smoke emerging that will cover the atonement cover.  The smoke serves as a protection so that Aaron will not die.

Step Seven (Still inside the Holy of Holies):

He is to take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover. 

Step Eight (Still inside the Holy of Holies):

Aaron slaughters the goat chosen for the sin offering for the people and takes its blood behind the curtain and using his finger sprinkles some blood on the front of the atonement cover and seven times before the atonement cover.

Step Nine (Outside of the Holy of Holies):

Following on the heels of sprinkling the goat’s blood onto the front and before the atonement cover, the Scripture only states that Aaron is to “do the same for the tent of meeting”.  Though not detailed, I can only assume that both the bull’s and the goat’s blood are sprinkled onto the Tent of Meeting, most likely from the east or entrance side.  I’m not 100% sure on this.

Step Ten:

Aaron leaves the tent of meeting and goes to the brazen altar. He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar.  After that, he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

Step Eleven:

Aaron shall bring forward the live goat.  He will 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.

Step Twelve:

Aaron 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.

Step Thirteen:

Aaron returns to the tent of meeting where he takes off his linen garments that he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and leaves them there. He bathes himself with living water in the sanctuary area and puts his regular garments back on.

Step Fourteen:

Aaron returns to the brazen laver and offers two rams as olah (burnt offerings). (One brought to atone for himself and the other received from the people of Israel) The fat from these sin offerings shall be burnt up on the altar.

Step Fifteen:

The man who released the scapegoat out into the wilderness must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water (living water!)

Step Sixteen:

The remaining hides, flesh and intestines from the sacrificed bull and goat are to be taken outside of the burned up.  The man who burns them up must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp. 

The aforementioned procedures that you have just read are the once-a-year procedures for Yom Kippur.  It was that one time of the year, specifically the 7^th day of the 10^th month according to the Jewish calendar (October 7^th for 2011) when the high priest was allowed to enter the most Holiest place on the face of the earth.

Now I have a question for all of you Christians out there?  According to the New Testament, who is our high priest?  I am sure most of you answered “Jesus” which is correct.  Now when bridging the gap between the OT and the NT, if the NT Jesus is analogous to the OT high priest, what are NT believers analogous to?  The answer is the common priests. 

Hence, here, please brace yourself, I am about to decimate a commonly held Christian teaching. The idea that we as believers enter into the Holy of Holies is FALSE!!!  As the Scripture makes explicitly clear, entrance into the Holy of Holies is solely restricted to G-d the Father and His Chosen High Priest.  Our High Priest savior Jesus enters and atones for us but we, as believers can go no farther than the Holy Place.  

L-rd,

Thank you for your Torah and thank you for sending Yeshua to be our permanent high priest who became a onetime sacrifice for all of our sins for all eternity.

Amen.