[This was first posted in 2012; revisited every season of the fall feasts that YHWH calls “MY feasts” are upon us. Yom Kippur this year 5780/2019 falls on October 8-9. What is the Sinaite position that applies to Gentiles? Read on.–Admin1.]
One of the divinely-ordained feasts to be observed at this time of the biblical year by Torah-observant Jews and gentiles is YOM KIPPUR, the day of atonement (Wednesday, September 23, 2015).
Sorry to keep looking back while we’re endeavoring to move forward; as the national hero of our country, Dr. Jose Rizal, wisely counseled: anyone who does not look back where he came from will not arrive at his destination. This website is designed to help gentile God-seekers–particularly those in transition from one belief system to another–so we do look back a lot, examine what was behind us, and correct according to YHWH’s Torah.
We hardly expect Jews to be reading us, much less learn from us; and we already know die-hard Christians are allergic to any writing that borders on heresy which is what this website is perceived to be full of, but here’s a review of why Christians do not observe Yom Kippur. Understandably, this is not listed in the liturgical calendar of Christianity, therefore no Christians (except perhaps Messianics) are observing it.
Christian theology teaches “we are under grace, not law.” What are the implications of such teaching?
- If the law has been done away with, then Christians no longer have to comply with the Leviticus 23 commanded feasts, so why should the average Bible reader bother to even read, much less seriously study OT laws except as a course requirement for seminarians?
- In God’s grace and mercy and desire to fulfill the standards of His own justice which no human can fulfill, He supposedly appeared in human form, Jesus Christ, to fulfill all of his “Law” perfectly, including of course the biblical feasts.
- Jesus is claimed to be the perfect atoning sacrifice whose blood has accomplished the total cleansing from sin(s) for all of mankind,
- making this sweeping accomplishment “once and for all” (therefore no need for yearly observance of Yom Kippur);
- “sin” (singular) refers to original sin inherited from Adam (the so-called fallen nature); the Heavenly Judge looks at us through the cleansing filter of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice. John (13:1-15) recalls Jesus washing the feet of the apostles sometime during the last supper as a sign not only of servanthood/humility, but also as symbolic of Jesus’ one-time erasure of ALL sin from the record of those who believe in him. [The inconsistency here is — his supreme sacrifice is associated with another feast at another time of the year, Pesach where the lamb is the animal associated, while it is a sacrificial goat’s blood that is used for atonement at Yom Kippur (another article will explain this)];
- “sins” (plural) is for individual transgressions which are forgiven through penitence/repentance and confession to the priest, for Catholics, and directly to God for other Christian sects. The same feet-washing story supposedly illustrates that Jesus cleanses believers only one time, but we get our feet dirty in our daily walk, but no need for a full bath, just wash our feet (penitence, confession).
- For those who would appropriate the Savior’s sacrificial and atoning blood upon themselves individually by believing in him as Lord and Savior, his blood effectively takes care of their past, present and future sins, although they do have to go through the confession process required by their church.
- Because of this teaching, much discussion has centered around such questions as: “once saved, forever saved?”
- What if they profess but don’t live the life, are they really saved?
- What about all the lives that haven’t really changed where observance of rituals and church attendance have been the minimum compliance?
- What if they’re an embarrassment to their religion/church? Corrupt government officials, cheating business proprietors, household bosses who fulfill their Sunday obligation but are into business as usual or exploitation of fellowmen all the other six days of self-serving wrongdoing?
- On the other end of the spectrum, there are the converts who transform from prisoner to minister or are simple folk who dedicate their lives in the service of Christ, who—Everything that they do is in the name of Jesus.
- in their being reborn as a new creature they seriously leave their sinful past,
- in gratitude for being forever secure in their destiny, already enjoying eternal life now, therefore live exemplary lives while still on this earth.
- They are a credit to the Savior they love and the church they serve,
- their deeds and expressions of their faith draw others to believe in the Atoning Sacrifice of their God-Man Jesus Christ.
- In other words, good Christians who truly live the life are the best “gospel” and the more effective evangelistic drawer to the faith than coercion, fear-tactics and persecution used by the early church.
Think about it, is YHWH really honored in this belief system? Only YHWH can answer that question and He has already done so all over the TNK, in anticipation of any deviation from His TORAH and more importantly, any redefinition of His Nature, His identity, His Name and His Oneness.
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As for Judaism, of course they observe all biblical feasts at the “appointed times.” They consider Yom Kippur as the holiest day, the most solemn feast of the year, a day to celebrate one’s relationship with God, not with sadness but still with “an undertone of joy.” As chabad.org says it: “a joy that revels in our connection with our Creator” expressing confidence that “as the doors of judgement close, our prayers will be accepted and we will be granted a year of goodness life, health and happiness.” The Jews believe that the Books of Life and Death are open and God writes who will be granted another year of life, so their prayers focus on how to mend their ways.
To learn about Yom Kippur, please go to the Jewish websites listed on our links; they are full of teachings on this festival; you will learn far more from them than what little we can cover in this article.
- Aish.com allows a download of “A Reader’s Compendium for Yom Kippur” and “ABC’s of Yom Kippur,” teaching the process of teshuva or “return” which involves 4 steps:
- Regret – acknowledging that a mistake was made, and feeling regret at having squandered some of our potential.
- Cessation – Talk is cheap, but stopping the harmful action shows a true commitment to change.
- Confession – To make it more “real,” we admit our mistake verbally, and ask forgiveness from anyone we may have harmed.
- Resolution – We make a firm commitment not to repeat the harmful action in the future.
- Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gives a different perspective in his in his Covenant and Conversation website, where he explains how the Hebrew term teshuva goes beyond “penitence” —-
- “returning, retracing our steps, coming home,” because it belongs to the”biblical vision in which sin means dislocation, and punishment is exile: “Adam and Eve’s exile from Eden, Israel’s exile from its land.”
- “A sin is an act that does not belong, one that transgresses the moral boundaries of the world.”
- “One who acts in ways that do not belong finds eventually that he does not belong. Increasingly he places himself outside of relationships—of family, community, and of being at one with history—that makes him who he is. ”
- “The most characteristic sense of sin is less one of guilt than of being lost.”
- “Teshuvah means finding your way back home again.”
- “on this night of nights, it is what Jews do.”
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What about us— the neither-Christian-nor-Jew— how now do we observe Yom Kippur?
We look at the essence of the feast, basically the essentials of the 10 commandments:
- repent of and correct the wrong we have done toward our fellows (5-10),
- and repent of sins we have committed against YHWH (1-4).
We don’t have to do this only once a year at Yom Kippur, we could do it as often as necessary, but if YHWH has scheduled it for good reason on His calendar in line with Israel’s agricultural or seasonal cycle, we hearken and heed. It is our individual accounting to the TORAH-Giver.
Our Jewish TORAH consultant says that during the period of 10 days between Rosh Hashana/Day of Trumpets to Yom Kippur, we should examine our lives specifically on how we might have offended/hurt/sinned against our fellowmen. Think about it: our horizontal relationships are problematic, most likely because just like Adam and Eve, we so easily point the finger at others instead of ourselves. How many of us really look inward FIRST rather than elsewhere when it comes to fault-finding? It is not enough to simply be introspective and determine our shortcomings, faults and sins against others and admit it quietly to ourselves; the more difficult task is to honestly consider how others might have taken offence at something we said or did, did not say nor do; and if or where we have caused hurt, then this is a good time to ask for forgiveness. The 10 days time is intended for us to come to terms with our dealings with fellowmen. Most likely, rationalizations will come up to find ways to avoid doing it. The point is to do it, whether or not the other side decides to forgive, reconcile, or own up to their own part in the rift. We can only make choices for ourselves, the other side has to choose how to respond to a gesture of humility and offer of reconciliation.
Whenever this topic of making it right in our human relationships comes up, what comes to mind is Peanuts, the comic strip by Charles Shultz. Dealing with the faceless mass of humanity we never meet is no problem; it is the person with a recognizable face that we must come to terms with in our relationships.
Fasting is recommended on this day . . . self-denial could come in different forms. We have different indulgences, different weaknesses; if fasting from food is not much of a self-denial (habitual dieters), then choose a fast from something that would really make you conscious enough to realize that you might be in bondage to it, such as — materialism, compulsive shopping, TV-watching, computer games, coffee/alcohol/sugar addiction, in short, all superficial pleasures, etc. Must it hurt? Would YHWH be pleased if it does? Self-denial is really more for ourselves, a matter of self-discipline, self-control, who knows what we might discover about ourselves while practicing it for a day; what matters is restoring priorities. Ask ourselves: what or who really count in life? In a foxhole, one realizes fast what truly matters—it is relationship—with YHWH first, and people next.
Whichever manner we decide to spend the day of atonement, let us not get lost in fretting over how to go about it; simply make an accounting of the past year to YHWH and renew our commitment to Him. If this is the first time some of us are taking Yom Kippur to heart, then the only sins we confess to Him cover the first 3 commandments—ignorance of Him as the True God, ignorance of His Name, and our idolatry of another god in His place. That is a good place to start . . . and then keep going and let us not forget in our regret of the past, to celebrate the joy of finally discovering Him as the True and Only God, the Creator self-revealing on Sinai, Who still keeps His Eye on and reveals His Hand upon the nation He chose to model His guidelines for life, His TORAH.
YHWH is His Name, a Name we proudly proclaim!
In behalf of the Sinai 6000 Core Community—
NSB@S6K
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