The Second Fall Feast :: Yom Kippur

We had a wonderful time learning and celebrating Rosh Hashanah last week.  As that first fall feast came to and end it ushered in the time right before the Holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement.

We have not done any crafts or decorations for this feast, as it it is a very serious day.  I sat down to write about the feast, but found myself getting a bit tripped up in the historical as well as biblical importance of this day.  Our friends back home have been studying and learning about the feast, and he is much more eloquent than I.  These words are from our friend Shon:

"Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD." (Lev. 23:27)

Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, begins Tuesday at sunset. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year. Jews all over the world will fast going without food and water for 25 hours. Jesus Himself fasted on this day.

Yom Kippur was the only day of the year that the High Priest could go behind the veil of the Tabernacle and enter the Holy of Holies where the presence of God dwelt. He would take the blood of a bull, for his own sins, and then the blood of a goat, for all of Israel's sins, and sprinkle it on the Mercy seat that sat on the Ark of the Covenant. During the second Temple period the blood was sprinkled on a rock that replaced the lost Ark.

The Hebrew word "Kippur" translated "Atonement" means "covering". When you cover something, it is out of sight, but it is still there. You see, the blood of bulls and goats could never take away our sins (Heb. 10:4), it only put them out of God's sight until the only one who could take them away came, Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah.

Through Yeshua, God took our sins and separated them as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). He cast our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).

Yeshua is our Atonement. He is our Yom Kippur sacrifice. 

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I really have loved learning the Hebrew words.  I have sang "Yeshua loves me this I know..." to my children.  There is something special about it.

Take this time to prepare your hearts and minds for Yom Kippur.  Take some time for peace and quiet to respond to God.  I know that I personally don't take near enough time to do this.  I have a million other things to do, a list a mile long, and I forget about the One who truly wants and desires my attention.

I know my children would appreciate a momma who was rested, peaceful and resting in the assurance of God and His love and care.  That same love and care that I can then turn and give to my family and loved ones.

Have you ever celebrated Yom Kippur or the other feasts?  I would love to hear your stories, please leave them in the comments.  If you would like to join the Fall Feast Countdown, it's not too late.  The Climbing Tree blog has been a wonderful, informative resource on the feasts.  Talia and her sweet family, even though I have never met in person, have been very inspirational.  Come join us!

The illustration from the picture above was taken from "The Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays."