|
Yom Kippur: The Day Of Atonement
The Biblical Meanings Of 'Kippur'
The word atonement - 'kippur' - implies amends for wrongdoing, however, the Torah also uses it in several
other ways.
1. Protective Covering
The first use of this word in the Bible is found
in the story of Noah and relates to a 'protective covering'.
"Yahveh said to Noah: Make an ark out of gopher wood... and you shall coat it from
within and from without with 'kofer' - pitch (protective coating)." Genesis 6:14
The ark was coated with a protective covering in order for it to withstand the
mighty waters of the flood.
2. A Protection Gift
Jacob sent a gift to appease his brother Esau. His
explanation for sending this gift: "Maybe I can appease
(kaparah) him with this gift that I am sending." Genesis 32:21
Jacob
did not ask Esau for forgiveness, rather he hoped that his gift will deter Esau from attacking him. The gift was intended
to protect him from Esau's anger.
3. A Covering Of The Ground
In Exodus, the word "kefor" was used to describe
the way in which the Manna covered the ground.
"And behold it was on the face of the wilderness thin and flaky, like 'frost' (kefor)
on the land." Exodus 16:14
The Biblical meaning of kefor
is not quite clear, but it's related to a type of covering, such as frost which covered the ground.
4. Protection Money
In
Exodus 21:30 the word "kofer" is used to describe a payment which can be made in lieu of punishment. This can be understood
as protection from punishment. Similarly, in Numbers 35:31 we find the prohibition of accepting
"kofer nefesh" - payment in lieu of capital punishment.
Kippur (Atonement) And The Tabernacle
The Kaporet - Covering
The Holy Ark was an open, gold plated wooden box which contained the tablets. (Exodus
25:10-11,21) Moses was commanded to make a kaporet - covering - a golden lid with two cherubim on it, to
cover the ark and protect the tablets. (Exodus 25:17-22) Just as the cherubim protected
the path to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24) so too, the Cherubim of the kaporet protected
the Tablets.
Kippurim And The Seven Day Ceremony
The first ceremonial use
of the word kippurim is found in the commandment to perform a seven-day dedication ceremony
for the Tabernacle. During those seven days a special sin offering called kippurim was offered and the blood
was sprinkled on the altar. (Exodus 29:1,12) In a similar fashion, the priests were also required kippurim.
During this seven day ceremony, the blood was sprinkled on the priests' earlobes, thumbs and toes. This procedure was also
referred to as kaparah ~ atonement.
"This meat
shall be eaten only by the priests who had kaparah from them." Exodus
29:33
The primary purpose of this ceremony was to perform kaparah on the altar and on the priests.
But, why did the altar need a kaparah, atonement? Surely the altar did nothing wrong!
Protection From The Shechinah
The primary purpose of the Tabernacle was to create a place for Yahveh's Divine Presence, the Shechinah,
to dwell.
"And they shall make for Me a sanctuary, that I may
dwell among them." Exodus 25:8
The presence of the Shechinah created an environment
similar to Mount Sinai, resulting in immediate punishment for any transgression.
Therefore protection was necessary for the priests who worked in the Tabernacle. (Leviticus 9:24) Recall what happened on
the very next day when Nadab and Abihu made one 'small' mistake and received immediate punishment - death!
The entire kippurim ceremony taught Israel that encountering the Shechinah required not
only preparation but also protection.
The word kippurim is mentioned again in Torah,
when the Alter of Incense is introduced. (Exodus 30:1-10) There we find the first reference in Torah to Yom Kippur
itself.
"Aaron must 'kaparah' (sprinkle blood)
on its corners once a year from the blood of the kippurim. Once a year he must do kaparah
(atonement) on it (the altar)." Exodus 30:10
This special procedure was performed
once a year, on the tenth day of the seventh month, to protect the people. (Leviticus 16:1-34)
Atonement Or Protection
In the book of Exodus
we find an additional use of the Kippur, when Moses ascended Mount Sinai to ask Yahveh to forgive Israel for their sin of
the golden calf.
"And Moses told the people, you have committed
a terrible sin, and now I will go up to Yahveh, possibly I can achieve kaparah, atonement, for your sins." Exodus 32:30
Moses was asking Yahveh not only to forgive but also to protect
Israel from the punishment which they deserved. This protection led to forgiveness.
The
sprinkling of the blood (the technical 'kapara') by the priest protected the owner of the sacrifice from
his due punishment for his transgression, enabling Yahveh to forgive him for that sin.
Why On The Tenth Day?
On the tenth of Tishrei (the 7th month) Israel received the Second Tablets
and was thus forgiven for the sin of the golden calf. Yahveh agreed to allow His Shechinah to remain with
Israel even though they were not worthy. (Exodus 34:9)
Yom Kippur
True atonement can be accomplished only by true repentance, enabling the special relationship between Yahveh and His people
to continue. By understanding the protective nature of Yom Kippur we can
better appreciate Yahveh/Yashua's goodness toward us even when we do not deserve it.
His Mercy and Grace are still available. Let us "Seek Yahveh while
He may be found, and call on Him while He is near." Isaiah 55:6
True Repentance – Esau Or Ishmael
"The House of Jacob will be a fire, and the House of Joseph a flame. The House of Esau will be as straw. They will kindle
and consume them. There will be no survivor from the House of Esau, for Yahveh has spoken." Obadiah 1:18
This very short Book of Obadiah focuses on the people of Edom - Esau's descendants, (Genesis 36:1) who lived southeast
of Israel. Not only did they rejoice over the sufferings of Jacob's descendants within the Holy Land, but they also took advantage
of their plight to loot their territory and help the invader. Obadiah prophesied that Edom would be punished and defeated
when Messiah comes, along with other nations who were Israel's enemies.
Why was Yahveh angry with Esau?
In many instances Esau appears to have been wronged against. In a moment of personal weakness, he was beaten by Jacob to
the birthright, and later, his father was tricked into giving the blessing meant for him to his brother. Although Esau intended
to avenge Jacob, he did not actually carry out his plan. Backed by his army of four hundred men, he could easily have done
so, when he met Jacob on his way home from Haran. Moreover, Esau allowed Jacob to participate at his father's burial. (Genesis
35:29) Indeed, the Torah forbids the Israelites to abhor Edom 'for he is your brother.' (Deuteronomy 23:8)
Thus we see that Esau's sins would be largely in the future - those of his offspring, rather than his own. As Obadiah states:
"for the outrage to your brother Jacob, disgrace will
engulf you, and you will perish for ever." Obadiah 1:10
"For the outrage to your brother Jacob, disgrace will engulf you, and you will perish for ever." Obadaiah 1:10
The 'outrage' spoken of in this prophecy was more than a millennium after Esau's death, so why was he blamed for the sins
of his of descendants?
Abraham's son, Ishmael, was also regarded as wicked during his earlier life - to the degree that he was expelled from his
father's household. Based on Isaiah 21:13-17, Ishmael's descendants were also to impose agony and suffering on Israel. Why
was only Esau associated with the behavior of his descendants in the book of Obadiah?
Esau's self-restraint in accepting rather than attacking Jacob (following Jacob's huge gift to him) was on impulse. Even
though he hated Jacob, at that moment his feelings of mercy were aroused. Indeed, much of Esau's conduct appears from the
text to be on whim. Examples include his readiness to exchange a bowl of soup for his future role of being the heir and director
of the Patriarchal traditions, and his sudden resolve to kill Jacob because he received the blessing meant for himself.
Esau's momentary acceptance of Jacob on his return from Laban, and his later allowing him to take part at his father's
burial, may be seen as good deeds done on impulse. They do not contradict the fundamental elements in his character, that
he "hated Jacob". Esau's momentary change of behavior was not true repentance. There was no real change in his character or
attitudes, and for that reason, the violence of his descendants against those of Jacob is linked with him.
Ishmael, on the other hand, was recorded to have repented. True repentance is not a single good deed, but a fundamental
change in character. Because Ishmael changed for the good, he was not associated with the sins of his descendants.
We learn from here the value of perfect (true and complete) repentance. On Yom Kippur we change our conduct to suit the
day, and may well, on inclination, make new resolutions, but the true test of the value of those changes is whether we
maintain them and build on them during the year.
|
