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Yom Kippur

And the Days of Awe

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The Days of Awe

The ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the

“Days of Awe” a continuation of the days of teshuvah, but with

increased intensity. It Involves: "teshuvah (repentance), tefilah (Prayer)

and tzedakah (selfless giving)" . “It is a time of intense prayer, spiritual

self-examination and repentance, even more so than the thirty days of

Teshuvah preceding Rosh Hashanah. “This is a time to judge ourselves so

that we can escape a heavier judgement later on the day when we face

the Lord. (Rom. 14:10-12) This is a season when we all seek the Lord’s

correction so we can serve Him more perfectly and avoid some of the

humiliation we will face when the “tapes” of our lives are played before

Him. The blowing of the shofar at this season (both Rosh Hashanah and

Yom Kippur) is also a reminder of the coming judgements upon the

Earth, each of which is preceded by shofar calls..” 1

The concept of these days as a special unit of time in the Jewish year

dates at least to the third century BCE. Rabbi Yohanan, who lived in the

Land of Israel during that period.

So, do we need to participate in the these days, after all Yeshua himself

was the expiation for our sins with His death of the cross? It is always

good to focus on repentance, and in Judaism as well as in Messiah, it is

never wrong to spend time on reflection, repentance and reconciliation.

For us, these days can be a sort of spiritual “reset” button. A time for

personal “revivial” if you will, without the circus of the camp-meeting

tent, this sometimes can be more of a show than a spiritual experience.

To examine this question further, let’s talk about the Septuagint for a

moment: the Septuagint is a translation of the entire Bible that was

found in Greek, rather than Hebrew. Though we suspect with much

evidence found in syntax and style that the entire Bible was once

1 Messianic High Holiday Maczor, Messianic Liturgical Resources, Jeremiah Greenburg. 2006

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Hebrew. Sadly to date we do not have the Gospels in an original Hebrew

version, other than the gospel of Matthew, known as the “Shem Tov

Matthew,” and the” DuTillet Matthew.” This version’s provenance is

uncertain at best because they are suspected to have been translated

from Greek or Latin for the purpose of Jewish apologetics. Others

believe that there is historic and linguistic evidence of “Shem Tov’s”

Matthew source to have come from a much earlier text that was later

translated into Greek. Why is the Septuagint important for our study

today? We can compare words in the Old and New Testaments across

the Testaments in the Septuagint, examining words and their meanings

because they are in a consistent language. We cannot do this in other

versions, because one Testament is translated from Hebrew and the

other Greek. While I do believe that the Septuagint has some issues, I

do know that in some cases, the disciples themselves quoted the

Septuagint as evidenced by many of the words that they used found in

the New Testament that are clearly from the Septuagint. For Example:

the use of the name “Noe” for “Noah.” So with this background, let us

get to my point:

Rom. 3:25 “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation

through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the

remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”

The word propitiation is interesting here. Let’s examine for a moment

the Strong’s meaning:

#2435 hilasterion {hil-as-tay'-ree-on} 1, mercyseat 1; 2 • 1)

relating to an appeasing or expiating, having placating or

expiating force, expiatory; a means of appeasing or expiating, a

propitiation 1a) used of the cover of the ark of the covenant in

the Holy of Holies, which was sprinkled with the blood of the

expiatory victim on the annual day of atonement (this rite

signifying that the life of the people, the loss of which they had

merited by their sins, was offered to God in the blood as the life

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of the victim, and that God by this ceremony was appeased and

their sins expiated); hence the lid of expiation, the propitiatory

1b) an expiatory sacrifice 1c) a expiatory victim .

This is also true of 1 John 2:2-

“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only,

but also for the sins of the whole world.”

and 1John 4:10-

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and

sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

So, with Yeshua’s death, He became our covering for the mercy seat and

His blood was figuratively sprinkled upon it. You will find some

Messianic teachers who believe that Yeshua’s blood was supernaturally

literally sprinkled upon it, based upon a teaching by Michael Rood. This

teaching is based upon the traditional location of Golgotha, which I do

not personally buy into. Just my two cents worth. Either way, Yeshua’s

sacrifice is our expiation for our sins, if we confess Him as our Lord and

Savior. Still, these ten days of repentance can have great meaning and

be a time of renewal for us.

John J. Perkins of ‘Hebrew4Christians.com’ puts it succinctly this way:

“Those who are trusting in Yeshua as their atonement before

the Father are therefore declared Tzaddakim (righteous ones, by

extension: one with a ‘direct pipeline’ to God) and their names

are written- and sealed- in the book of life.”

Clearly, with this statement we do not believe that we are made

righteous by our Acts, but our acts do reflect our fruits of love for God,

and one of those fruits is sincere repentance for our daily failings. I do

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believe that in writing down his visions, John did understand the

traditions of these “days of awe” when he wrote :

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was

cast into the lake of fire.” (Rev.20:15)

So, are these days important? I believe so.

Scripture references

There are many scriptures that deal with repentance, here are just a

few to reflect upon: Micah 7:18-20, Mark 2:17, 2Cor.7:9-10, Heb. 6:1

Other names and Idioms for the Days of Awe

Aseret Yemei Teshuvah in Hebrew, in English simply: The ten days of

repentance.

Traditions and commandments

Work is permitted as usual during the intermediate Days of Awe, from

Tishri 2 to Tishri 9, except of course for Shabbat during that week.

The Shabbat that occurs in this period is known as Shabbat Shuvah (the

Sabbath of Return). This is considered a rather important Shabbat.

One of the ongoing themes of the Days of Awe is the concept that G-d

has "books" that he writes our names in, writing down who will live and

who will die, who will have a good life and who will have a bad life, for

the next year. These books are written in on Rosh Hashanah, but our

actions during the Days of Awe can alter G-d's decree. The actions that

change the decree are "teshuvah, tefilah and tzedakah," repentance,

prayer, good deeds (usually, charity). These "books" are sealed on Yom

Kippur. This concept of writing in books is the source of the common

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greeting during this time is "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good

year."2

You must seek reconciliation with people you may have wronged during

the course of the year. The Talmud maintains that Yom Kippur atones

only for sins between man and G-d. To atone for sins against another

person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the

wrongs you committed against them if possible.3

Another custom observed during this time is kapparot. This is rarely

practiced today, and is observed in its true form only by Chasidic and

occasionally Orthodox Jews. Basically, you purchase a live fowl, and on

the morning before Yom Kippur you wave it over your head reciting a

prayer asking that the fowl be considered atonement for sins. The fowl

is then slaughtered and given to the poor (or its value is given). Some

Jews today simply use a bag of money instead of a fowl. Most Reform

and Conservative Jews have never even heard of this practice. (If you

live in the northeast, the news seems to delight in showing orthodox

Jews of New York swinging chickens over their heads in this antiquated

and perhaps even pagan rooted ceremony. I am not sure if they are

trying to do a holiday story, or just make the Jews look stranger in the

world’s eyes. In my eye it is an unfortunate use of airtime for Jews.)4

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur means “Day of Atonement”. It is a day of cleansing, purging

and atoning, culminating the “ten days of awe” a penitential day that

provides one with a final chance to reflect on the past year before

approaching a fresh season of life. As such I find it interesting that

shortly after this period we yet again roll back the scroll and begin again

as well with the study and application of Torah to our lives.

2 http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday3.htm, Tracey R. Rich

3 ibid 4 ibid

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Many secular Jews who observe little about their faith will still find

themselves wending their way to synagogue on Yom Kippur, as it is

considered the most important day of the Jewish Year. Perhaps this is

because, even in their lack of practice, man has an instinctive

knowledge of a power greater than himself, and fear reprisals for his

past hurtful or harmful actions. Because of this, this day is usually the

most crowded day of the year in the synagogue, and in a traditional

synagogue, one sometimes must have a ticket to attend, but we will talk

about that more later. “when Yom Kippur is observed along with the

many shabbat and festival celebrations of the year, within the full

rhythm of the Jewish festival cycle, it can be fully appreciated. But when

the Day of Atonement is the one and only time that a person relates to

his own heritage, then the beauty of multi-dimensional Judaism is lost.

For what is a fast without a feast to follow?”5

Scriptural references

Lev. 16:29-31- “And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the

seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls,

and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a

stranger that sojourneth among you: For on that day shall the priest

make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from

all your sins before the LORD. It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and

ye 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 unto you, to make an atonement

5 Jewish Family Celebrations by Arlene Rossen Cardozo, St. Martin’s Press, 1982

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for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the

LORD commanded Moses.”6

Lev. 23:26-32 “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Also on the

tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it

shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and

offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And ye shall do no work in

that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for

you before the LORD your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not

be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the

same soul will I destroy from among his people.Ye shall do no manner of

work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all

your dwellings.It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict

your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even,

shall ye celebrate your sabbath.”

Num. 29:7-11 “And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month

an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any

work therein:But ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD for a

sweet savour; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first

year; they shall be unto you without blemish: And their meat offering

shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals to a bullock, and two

tenth deals to one ram, A several tenth deal for one lamb, throughout

the seven lambs: One kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the sin

offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and the meat

offering of it, and their drink offerings.”

Heb.9:5-7- “And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the

mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. Now when these

things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first

tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went

6 All scripture references are from the King James Version.

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the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he

offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:”

Eph. 4:30- “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed

unto the day of redemption.”

Other names and idioms:

Fast of atonement or “the fast”- Lev. 16:29, and 23:27 tell us to afflict

ourself, or practice self-denial, depending on translations. In Jewish

understanding this denial is most translated as fasting, though it can

also extend to other pleasurable pursuits like sexual relations, smoking,

imbibing in alcohol or watching movies or reading a novel for example.

Neilah- “the closing of the gates”. It is the day that we believe that the

decision is made by God as to what kind of year the coming year will be

for each individual. Whether or not this is true, we take this period very

seriously. This is specifically the closing service of Yom Kippur. It is

based upon the belief that the gates of heaven are opened during the

days of repentance to hear our pleas, and at the moment of the

conclusion of the Neilah service, the decisions are made by heaven and

the gates are closed for the year. When the last shofar is blown, those in

attendance will hopefully feel that they have been judged for a good

year and are once again inscribed in the book of life.

Thankfully, those of us believe in Messiah know that we have a High

Priest whom we can approach at all times, yet still this time should be

taken very seriously nevertheless.

Face to face- though we are told that no man could see God’s face and

live (Ex. 33:20) this day is known as a day face to face with God, because

the High Priest enters the Holy of Holies only on this day. Interestingly,

when entering, the High Priest carries a censor of incense with him

which clouds up the room ahead of him. Though he is face to face with

God, he still cannot see. Our prayers are represented in the incense, as

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our prayers go up before Him like incense. (Ps. 141:2, Rev. 5:8) All he

can see is God’s presence hovering as a brilliant cloud over the Mercy

Seat. This is the location which Moses met with God “face to face.” This

brings to mind the passage in 1 Cor. 13:9-12: “For we know in part, and

we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that

which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a

child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a

man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly;

but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as

also I am known.”

The day (or the Great day)- in Jewish tradition, as the end of the ten

days of awe, this is the last day to complete repentance and be entered

in the book of life. The entire day is spent fasting and praying, because it

is the most solemn day of the year, it is known as “The Day”.

Shofar HaGadol (the great shofar)- There are three primary shofars

associated three specific days of the year in Judaism:

The first trump- blown on and associated with Shavuot (Pentecost)

The last trump- blown on and associated with Rosh Hashanah.

The great trump- blown on and associated with Yom Kippur.

As found in Isaiah 27:13:

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet

shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish

in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and

shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.

And Mat 24:21-

“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet,

and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds,

from one end of heaven to the other.”

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Traditions and commandments

The duties of the Cohen Gadol- the “High Priest” are many on this day,

and he is specially prepared to carry them out under the watchful eyes

of the Sanhedrin. First, he stays awake all night on Yom Kippur to ensure

that he remains pure, in an effort to keep his dreams, which we cannot

control, from defiling him. He takes a mikvah (ritual immersion) to

cleanse his body physically and signifies the cleansing of his mind and

spirit. Then he dons special all-white garments just for Yom Kippur.

Yeshua was seen also wearing these all white garments, cementing our

image of Him as our High Priest in Rev. 1:13-15, and Dan. 10:5-6. The

High Priest sacrifices a Bull to purge the Altar of any potential or

unknown defilements caused by the priest or his family. (Lev. 6:16) Then

he follows up by the sacrificing of one of two goats, chosen by lot to

atone for any defilement by misdeeds of all of the Israelite people. (Lev.

16:7-8) We will discuss in detail the fate of the remaining goat in a few

minutes. Afterward, he enters the Holy of holies to sprinkle the blood of

the sacrificed goat upon the mercy seat. He wears only pure white for

this duty and wears nothing with gold.

At the moment of the sacrifice, the High Priests garment is stained with

the blood that atones for the sins of the people. Likewise, the believers

in Messiah are presented before HaShem without spot or blemish (Eph.

5:27) because of the blood of Yeshua.

There is a legend that it was common to affix a rope around his ankle so

that if he made a mistake, and was struck dead while serving in the Holy

of Holies, they would know because they would no longer hear the bells

on his hem ringing. But I believe that there are multiple things wrong

with this teaching:

He does not wear any bells on the garments for Yom Kippur,

because he does not wear gold in to the Holy of Holies. His

daily garments have golden bells around the hem, but his

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garments on Yom Kippur are pure white, and he does not wear

gold for these duties, so they would not hear any bells.

In describing the garments of the High Priest for Yom Kippur,

and all days, God is very specific about what he may wear and

what he may not. Thus I am certain that they did not willfully

add a rope to his ankle, especially since he wore no bells to

indicate that he had died!

It is on this day, and this day only that the High Priest says God’s name

aloud three times, when he did so, all those present prostrated

themselves on the ground. As they did so they proclaimed ”Baruch

shem K’vod malchuto l’olam va’ed!” (Blessed be the Name of the

radiance of the kingship, forever and beyond!) God’s name is avoided in

tradition because to know someone’s name and use it, it so have some

measure of control over them, to do business in their name, etc.

Therefore it is believed that His name should not be said aloud. Thus

Jews use euphamisms like “Adonai” (Lord), “HaShem” (the Name), “El

Elyon” (the Most High) etc. “Only on Yom Kippur was the Name said

aloud in all of its original awesomeness.”7

The scapegoat is a very interesting part of our story regarding Yom

Kippur. As noted above, the High Priest took two perfect goats to the

altar on Yom Kippur. However, in our text, only one is sacrificed and its

blood sprinkled in the Holy of Holies. What happens to the other goat?

For these answers we must do some exploring in the Talmud (the

Jewish writings and oral traditions).

When the two goats were brought before the priest, we read that lots

are cast over them. These are two very ornate wooden pieces banded

in gold that are kept in a wooden box and only brought out for this one

purpose each year. On one lot is inscribed “La Adonia” ( to the Lord), on

the other “La Azazel” (to Azazel). It is important to note that it was

7 Edward Chumney, the Seven Festivals of the Messiah, Treasure House Publishers, 1999

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considered a good omen if the lot for the Lord was drawn by the priest

in the right hand. We will revisit this idea in a few minutes. In Enoch

8:1 (an apocryphal book) we are told that Azazel is a type of Satan. In

this book it is said that the sins of the people, and their punishment, is

laid upon “Azazel” which in Hebrew actually means “scapegoat.” The

goat that the lot falls upon for the Lord, is the one humanely sacrificed

and whose blood is sprinkled on the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies.

What happens to other goat…is a different story.

Leviticus 16:10 tells us that:

“But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat (the lot

for Azazel), shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an

atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the

wilderness.”

Similarly Lev. 16:20-22 tells us:

“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. And when he hath 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

unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the

wilderness.”

Like many things in scripture, to understand more, we refer to the oral

tradition. It is this tradition that explains things like how to tie and wear

Tzit-tzit, how to make and wear tefillin (Phylacteries), etc. Scripture

many times tells us to do things, but does not always elaborate upon

exactly how to do them. And thus we have the oral traditions passed

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down from generation to generation from father to son, until they were

recorded in the Jerusalem and the Babylonian Talmud for posterity.

Among these instructions is a very interesting story about the Scapegoat

and if you have not figured it out yet, this is the origin of our expression

which makes “scapegoat” synonymous with “fall guy”- the one who

takes the punishment for others. Our scapegoat is quite literally a fall

guy! Allow me to elaborate.

Before the scapegoat is led away, a two things happen.

The priest lays his hands upon his head and confesses over it all

of the transgressions and iniquities of the Israelites, As Torah

noted in Lev. 16:20-22 above.

According to Talmud, a ribbon of linen is made for the purpose

of dipping it in the blood of the sacrificed goat. The ribbon is

then cut in half. One half is tied to the horns of the scapegoat,

and the other half is either: tied to the gate-latch of the Temple,

or pinned down by a rock in the wilderness by the place where

the goat meets his fate.

You might think that our remaining goat is the lucky one, but not so fast.

This goat was led away “by a fit man” into the wilderness, carrying the

sins of the people upon its head. But there is a good reason for the fit

man. Once the goat was led away, there was a sort of relay done. One

man led it so far, then another, who was waiting took over, and so on

and so on, until they reached the appointed place. This was done to

ensure that no one traveled beyond a Sabbath day’s journey on a

Shabbat. This goat traveled beside the man, little blood soaked ribbon

flying from its horn all the way. When they reached the appointed spot,

a high cliff overlooking the wilderness, the man turned the goat around

with his back to the cliff, grabbed his front feet to raise him up on his

hind legs in a position of being eye to eye, and slowly walked him

backwards to the edge. With a mighty heave, he then pushed the goat

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backwards, somersaulting down the cliff face to its death. Why? You

might cry in distress? My friends, it was ensure that sins placed upon its

head did not come wandering back into town later in search of the

paddock, food or drink. They ensured that our sins did not return to

consume us. Who does this goat sound like? Before we explore that,

let’s unpack the legends surrounding the other half of the ribbon that

was not tied to the goat, and the stories of what happened to the lots

after the death of Yeshua.

The ribbon that was tied to the gate, or hooked to the rock at the top of

the cliff, whichever version you may hear, does something very

interesting. It is said, and recorded carefully in the Talmud, that every

year, after the scapegoat died on the cliff, the ribbon tied to the gate

turned back to its pure white state, and the people knew that their sins

had been forgiven. In light of this consider Isaiah 1:18:

“ Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though

your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though

they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

However, there was a time when the ribbon ceased to change colors.

Can you guess what it might have been? From around 33 AD to 70 AD,

between the time after Yeshua’s death and when Jerusalem was

destroyed the linen strip never turned white again, signifying the Most

High’s displeasure with the people in rejecting the sacrifice of His

Beloved Son.

Additionally, it is also recorded that in that same time period those lots

we read about changed in their inspired behavior. The lot for the Lord,

which almost always turned up in the right hand of High Priest, now

turned up in the left hand of the High Priest consistently.

Another story in the Talmud relates also that the western lamp in the

menorah in the holy place went out each night, despite having plenty of

oil in it to keep it lit, until the destruction of Temple.

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Can you see the parallel between the goat for the Lord and the Goat for

Azazel in Yeshua’s death on the cross and Barabbas being set free by

Pilate at the request of the people? It was a custom for the governor to

set free one prisoner to the people on Pesach (Passover). The people

chose Barabbas, whose name interestingly means: “Son of the Father.”

Yeshua was like the goat for the Lord, and Barabbas the goat for Azazel.

But that is a study for Pesach.

The liturgical prayers of Yom Kippur- note in the liturgy that the

prayers for Yom Kippur are plural, nobody is exempt as the

congregation prays for absolution from sins committed knowingly and

unknowingly.

Fasting from food and liquid from just before sundown to just after

sundown (a 25 hour period) is a form of “afflicting your soul.” (Lev.

16:29) It has been widely and wisely recommended that the pre-fast

meal that occurs before sundown on Yom Kippur be hearty, partaken of

slowly (requiring adequate time to eat while preparing to attend

evening services), and not be too salty or spicy to avoid causing thirst

during the fast. It is also strongly recommended to begin to eliminate

caffeine from the diet up to a month before Yom Kippur to avoid the

terrible caffeine headache that can come for those who are daily

partakers of caffeinated products. Some also believe that smokers

should abstain on this day as well. This fast is kept from 30-60 minutes

before sundown, to clearly after sundown to following day.

It is important to note that on Yom Kippur the Sabbath candles are lit

following the pre-fast meal!

Some follow the tradition to step outside and count three stars before

eating the post-fast meal.

There are exemptions from fasting however: Of course, in the practice

of our faith, life overrules all! Those who are ill, suffer from chronic

diseases, pregnant, or nursing are always exempt from fasting. Young

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children under Bar and Bat Mitzvah age are also exempt. However, as

they get older, some children begin to do “mini-fasts” voluntarily on this

day skipping one or two meals to understand the concept.

Attend Yom Kippur services- most synagogues have an Erev Yom Kippur

service, called “Kol Nidre” (all vows) the evening of Yom Kippur after

sundown. During this service, the Rabbi or leadership gives the

attendees one last chance to seek reconciliation with their fellow

members. The Traditions is that no one sits! There is much talking,

hugging and kissing at this moment in a traditional synagogue. This is

the truest spirit of Yom Kippur! The next day there is a daytime service

and then an early evening service, called the “Neilah service” beginning

before sundown to close Yom Kippur and the fast. Originally the Neilah

service referred to the literal closing of the Temple gates at the end of

the day; now, however most Rabbis emphasis it as the closing of the

heavenly gates, as they believe that the book of life is closed at this

moment for another year. I particularly find the Neilah service

meaningful to me.

Wear white- have you made the connection yet? We are a royal priest

hood, and the High priest wears white on Yom Kippur. (1 Pet 2:9) Our

sins were scarlet (like the ribbon) but now we are washed clean (Is.

1:18). White garments symbolize righteousness before God. (Rev. 3:4-5,

7:9, 13-14.)

Forgo leather shoes- wearing leather is reminiscent of the sin

committed by Adam and Eve, after which G‑d outfitted them in

garments made of skins (Genesis 3:21). On Yom Kippur, the Day of

Atonement, we don’t want to do anything that recalls this sin thus we

avoid wearing leather.

Forgo jewelry- so as not to recall the sin of the Golden Calf. Except a

wedding band which implies the sacredness of our marriages.

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Tickets- The practice of needing a ticket to attend synagogue on Yom

Kippur likely comes from the fact that this is the most attended day of

the year. Thus space is tight and seats at a premium. In many

synagogues, tickets are first distributed to those who are up to date on

their synagogue dues (rather than a tithe, members pay dues to support

their synagogues. Those dues are usually based upon the income level

of the family. They understand that a tithe scripturally, is something

very different) after that other considerations are made for the

distribution of tickets. They can even be purchased in some

synagogues. To my knowledge, no one is turned away on Yom Kippur

but you are certainly not guaranteed a seat, which on a fast day and a

day on which services are very long a seat is certainly a prize!

Interestingly, Jews even laugh at themselves over the ticket

phenomenon- you can find several spoofs and music videos on you-tube

related to acquiring tickets for Yom Kippur!

Pledge cards- based upon penitential ceremonies which first involved

the scapegoat, later fowls as we talked about in discussing the strange

“kapparot” ceremony in relation to the days of awe which was later

replaced with the use of coins, has spawned a residual form today in

many synagogues in the form of an annual pledge cards passed out on

Yom Kippur. People commit in writing to their annual support of the

synagogue. Money is not given at this time, because traditionally, no

money is carried on this day, and for some pockets may even be turned

out to show a lack of need for worldly goods on this day. We do not

practice this in our synagogue.

Building of the Sukkah- traditionally, following the breaking of the fast,

many Jewish families go outside and begin to erect their sukkah frames,

by driving in at least one nail. The tradition says that the great

anticipation of the joy of sukkot should be so strong that we cannot

refrain from getting started! In our congregation, we camp together for

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this festival, generally away from home so instead, you might pull out

your sleeping bags for washing, or find your tent and bring it out to start

your sukkot pile in anticipation!

Bibliography:

Jewish Family Celebrations, Arlene Rossen Cardozo. St. Martin’s Press,

1982

The Seven Festival of the Messiah, Edward Chumny. Treasure House

Publishers, 2001

Messianic High Holiday Maczor, Jeremiah Greenburg. Messianic

Liturgy.com 2006

Hebcal.com

Tracy R. Rich, http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday2.htm

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Congregation Chiam B’ Derech

121 East Harrell Dr.

Russellville, Ar

(479)967-LIFE

www.chiambderechar.com

Info@chiambderech.com