Day 30 - Yom Kippur

This Friday night through Saturday was Yom Kippur. This was one of the most holy celebrations in all of the Jewish calendar. Yom Kippur (or the Day of Atonement) happened on the 10th day of the 7th month. Now this was based on the Jewish religious calendar. The Jewish religious calendar begins around our month of April, so the 7th month usually falls around our October.

The Day of Atonement is a very holy day. It's like the shabbat (sabbath) only much more holy. That means that it starts on the sundown on Friday night and ends on Saturday night. It also means doing no work. Originally, this was a special day where the high priest of Israel would make all these sacrifices for the sins of all of the people. He would do all of the sacrifices by himself (this was symbolizing Jesus Christ coming to pay for the sins of the people all by Himself). Hence the name "Day of Atonement." It was the day that the sacrifices would pay for all of the people's sins for the past year.

Today, Jesus is our fulfillment in this Day of Atonement, and we can rejoice in that. Sadly, the Jewish people do not see it that way. Now remember that sacrifices can only take place in the temple. Is there a temple? No! So that means that the Jews can't have their sacrifices once a year to cover up their sins. So what the rabbis have come up with is this system of prayers. They pray all day long starting at least a day before the feast so that once Saturday night is done, their sins are "paid for." They even lay hands on chickens to "pass on" their sins. It's ok for them to sacrifice chickens because those were never named as a sacrifice that is only supposed to be done in the temple. So basically, this whole weekend is a spit in God's face. These people have rejected the ultimate and perfect atonement for their sins and they are now stuck in this bondage of prayers, fasting, and make-shift sacrifices. It's really sad to see this happening.

If you notice in the picture that we are all dressed in white. This is almost mandatory to do if you are going to the wall (turns out more so for men than girls) and wearing white represents the washing away of sin. It was quite interesting to see all of the Jews praying at the wall. On Saturday night there was singing and dancing because they could break their fast that they had been having since Friday night. They are so serious in their fasting that they do not even brush their teeth because they are afraid that some of the water might trickle down their throats and make them break their fasts. Crazy isn't it? This is the culture that Jesus was in when He talked about the strict legalism and the coldness of the law. It's such a blessing to know that Jesus is the fulfillment of all of the old laws. He has paid the ultimate price for us! Praise God!

Love,
V