Yom Kippur (יום כיפור)
- bgiles2016
- Sep 21, 2021
- 9 min read
About Yom Kippur. I’ll start by sharing the knowledge I had about Yom Kippur before I experienced it. Yom Kippur is the most sacred/important Jewish Holidays. Even people who aren’t religious observe it. On Yom Kippur, almost everyone fasts, including not drinking water, (unless you are less than 12 years old) and almost no one drives their cars. Because of this it’s nicknamed, the day of the bicycle, because all the children (and other humans haha) are out walking around, riding their bikes, and having a wonderful time. Yom Kippur is the day of atonement. Similar to Shabbat, everything is closed, and it is a day of rest. Many people observe it in an even more special way than Shabbat, they don’t shower, use electricity, listen to music, or do anything other than pray and go to synagogue. This is the day when they come before God to ask for forgiveness and atonement for all of the sins they are aware of and the sins they aren’t aware of. For them, it’s when God decides if their name will be written in the Book of Life for that year.
I did not take this photo haha. It is from the above link (:
A funny side note. I had just bought my bike Wednesday morning, the day before Yom Kippur, and I wanted to buy a bike lock. I went to the nearby bike shop and to my surprise and amusement, it was absolutely packed! It was actually quite cute, because most of the bikes being worked on and fixed were for the children. All of Be’er Sheva was making sure their kids were properly equipped for the day of the bicycle (:
So back to my Wednesday, or Yom Kippur eve. You see, the fasting starts around 6-7ish Wednesday evening (sunset) and then the fast is broken Thursday evening at sunset. Wednesday is bible study day, but the international Christian group was getting together for supper at the park right outside of my apartment at 5pm for supper and then a time of prayer before Yom Kippur. So, I opted for the international event. I think I may have mentioned in a previous post that I bought a kilogram of couscous with no idea how I would use it. My moment had come. I decided to make a couscous salad. Most of you probably know, I’m not a huge salad girl, but I thought I would give it a whirl. Lauren helped me with a homemade dressing and the seasoning, and I was surprisingly impressed with the result (I never thought I would be proud of making a salad until this moment haha)
I am so blessed by all the sweet Christians in Be’er Sheva. The couples brought their babies, Mirta brought her guitar, there was more than enough delicious food to go around, and I didn’t think my heart could get any fuller. But I was wrong. After the meal Esti began to share the biblical history of Yom Kippur (יום כיפור), which literally translates to Day of Atonement.
Exodus 30:10
“Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”
Maybe that verse makes it sound very simple. But then we read all the way through Leviticus 16, titled “The Day of Atonement”, together while “acting” it out. Don’t worry haha, no one (human or animal) was harmed during the recreation of the chapter. It is very long, but I would encourage you to read it and imagine all the steps actually being done. I didn’t realize until this point what Yom Kippur represents biblically. This was the one day of the year where the priest of the temple was allowed to go behind the veil into the presence of God and approach the throne of mercy. There were many very specific steps the priest had to go through before he was able to do this. The priest then made very specific sacrifices in a very specific way. And in this moment, he was approaching God on behalf of all the people. I will just include the last verses of passage here.
Leviticus 16:29-34
9 “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. 30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. 31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. 32 And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father's place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. 33 He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses.
And also in Leviticus 23:26-32
The Day of Atonement
26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people.30 And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. 32 It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.”
Yom Kippur looks a little different now in Israel. They don’t sacrifice the animals as detailed in Leviticus or have one designated person who has access to the throne of mercy. The temple has since been destroyed, which changes a lot of things in the Jewish traditions. Instead, they pray and/or reflect. The most religious Jews will spend most of the day at the synagogue. It is all taken very seriously. I was told there are still some chicken sacrifices that take place on this day, where a chicken is killed and then swung around. But something interesting about Yom Kippur compared to the rest of the Jewish Holidays and Feasts is that on this occasion, the people stay home instead of relocating to a specific location. For example, on Shabbat, many travel beforehand to be with family. And on Passover, many go to Jerusalem. Biblically, the people couldn’t do anything to receive their own atonement, they stayed in their homes, fasted (from much more than food) and trusted the high priest’s encounter with the Lord was enough.
But what does this mean for me, or you, as Christians? It is so beautiful how Yom Kippur points back to Christ. The first part of the next passage is referring to the original Day of Atonement, and the second part reveals the beauty of Christ’s love and sacrifice.
Hebrews 9:7-15
7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
The Blood of Christ
11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
Wow. If you didn’t read that and feel in awe of Yeshua’s sacrifice and gift, please read it again, slowly. I didn’t realize how heavy it would be for one to believe in God, but not know they always have access to the Father’s love and grace until I came to Israel and experienced the Jewish faith. We don’t have to fast or make sacrifices for atonement. We can fast if we feel led to, but it isn’t necessary to be forgiven. Christ has already paid it all. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. There is nothing we can do that can add to or take away from Christ’s sacrifice.
Mirta got out her guitar and we all sang Nothing But the Blood together. And the tears started flowing. Not only because of how true the lyrics are and how loved I am, but also because it reminds me of so many wonderful moments with my family and my dad. How great the Father’s love is for each of us, even when we can’t see it or feel it. We wrapped up with a time of prayer and began to walk home. It was after sunset, so Yom Kippur was in full swing. There were kids all over the streets, riding their bikes, skateboards, walking, etc, and nary a car to be seen (: It was glorious haha. Mirta and I got to walk together for a while, and I am so blessed by her kind and joyful soul.
After I got back to the apartment, Lauren and I decided to watch a movie. It was probably around 9:30 or so, we had our popcorn all popped and ready to go when our apartment bell rang. Every time someone rings our bell, I’m very shocked, because the list of people who know where we live is very small haha. When I opened the door, a girl I had talked to at church a few times was standing there. It turned out to be really funny. Basically, she was about an hour’s walk from home and trying to find her friends (the people I had just eaten supper and worshiped with haha). But she left her phone at home because she didn’t think she would need it (and Yom Kippur) and really needed to use the restroom. She had remembered we moved into Mirta’s old place and came up hoping we would be there. And we were! To add even more humor to the situation, after she used the restroom, she went on the explain that her sister and brother were also there, waiting in the stairwell and needed to use the restroom. Of course we obliged haha. They stayed and chatted for a while before they left and were on their way. It was very tender, very funny, and only slightly awkward ;)
On Thursday morning, Yom Kippur, I woke up early and rode my bike to Caroline and Jack’s apartment. With the streets empty, I rode right down the middle and I felt so free. Caroline and I ran to the Monument of the Negev right outside of Be’er Sheva to watch the sunrise. We couldn’t have chosen a better morning. We made it just in time (: I decided I need to make sunrise pilgrimages more often. Caroline and I sang some worship songs together. It’s moments like these that I need to return to when I am at my lowest. In that moment, I was still aware of all the hard, but I felt peace and hope.
We walked/ran back and soaked in the quiet streets. I have come to the conclusion that I am not cut out for the city life long term haha. I had an inkling before, but now I am fuly convinced. I loved the quiet and stillness to much. The rest of the day was spent trying to play my new guitar and studying. I could see and hear the children playing on the streets all day, having the time of their lives (: The city began to come back to life as sunset neared, and just like that Yom Kippur was over.
After experiencing it and reflecting, I think Yom Kippur is a very important day even if you aren’t Jewish. It reminds me of the meaning of Jesus’s ultimate sacrifice from a new perspective of what it looked like before, and also what it would continue to look like and feel like in the present if he hadn’t provided the forgiveness and atonement for all my sins. Yom Kippur points back to how Jesus was God’s plan from the beginning. It wasn’t plan B or an afterthought. He knew our human efforts would never be enough, they were just a temporary substitution. It is good to take time to intentionally reflect and pray about what is hidden and ugly in my own heart and to continue surrender. If you haven’t done this in a while, someone who loves you more than anything is waiting for you with open arms.
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