How to Correctly Keep Yom Kippur

Believers Want to Know How to Keep Yom Kippur Correctly

We have brethren in our Faith Community who are seeking Truth and want to understand when and what Yom Kippur is and how to properly observe and celebrate the day.

As mature Torah Observant Believers in Yeshua Messiah, we are compelled to remind ourselves of the meaning and purpose of the day and prepare ourselves (emotionally, intellectually, spiritually and even physically).

Permit me to approach this briefly from a personal perspective and from the perspective of one who has folks who will listen to this program and need and desire to know how to make the day relevant to them as a 21st-century Messianic Believer.

The Overall Basis for the Day

Yom  Kippur—Hebrew for Day of Atonement—is considered by most in our community (and I would tend to agree as well) as the holiest day of the Father’s sacred calendar year. For this is a day to commemorate and reflect upon our need for a savior. More specifically, reflect upon sin and the influence of sin on our relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

Another aspect of the day is that it is a day to reflect upon the sin of the nation and to seek forgiveness and atonement (at-one-ment) for violations of Torah.

• It is a complete “fast” day.
• The Day of Atonement is to be a statute (a chuqqah—an enactment or prescription given to us by Father) forever that we are to observe (Leviticus 23:31).
• When this statute was given to us at Sinai, Father set out the process whereby the Levitical High Priest would make animal sacrifices on behalf of himself and the whole nation: to atone (to cover and bring us back into the good graces of our Father) for national (I believe to a somewhat lesser sense individual) sins.

• The specific passages of Torah that directly address Yom Kippur are found in Leviticus 16 and Numbers 29. (Leviticus 16 and Numbers 29 go into specifics on the animals to be offered and on how those sacrifices were to be presented and administered by the High Priest on behalf of himself and the entire nation.
• The sacrifices would be offered and applied to the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant located in the Holy Place (the Holy of Holies) of the Tabernacle. (NOTE: The Levitical High Priest could enter the Holy Place of the Tabernacle only once a year: that being Yom Kippur). It is on that day, in the Holy Place, that the High Priest would apply the blood of the atonement sacrifice to the Ark of the Covenant).

• 

  The High Priest Presents the Two Goats to Yahuah.

  The entire chapter of Leviticus 16 addresses the Day of Atonement. There was a sequence of events and actions that were to be followed and all those events and actions are rich in meaning and prophecy.

The bottom line elements of The Day of Atonement are as follows:

• It is to be a day of convening a holy convocation (a sacred gather).
• It is to be a day where NO work is to be done.
• It is to be a day where an offering of fire is to be made.
• It is to be a day where we afflict (anah—oppress; humble; deny) our souls.

Judaistic Traditions Applied to Yom Kippur

Most Jews believe that Yom Kippur is the most solemn and sacred time of the calendar year.

It is a time of great introspection and reflection on one’s life. It is a time where the Jew deals with their guilt and shame and takes actions to address those guilts and shames by seeking forgiveness from those they’ve offended or wronged and from God. (This process of introspection and reflection actually takes place over the entire 10-days leading from Trumpets to the Day of Atonement—traditionally referred to as the 10-days of awe.

At least one popular Hebrew Roots teacher has applied significant prophetic meaning to these 10-days of Awe.

The following are Jewish general practices of Yom Kippur:

• Judaism requires members to attend synagogue on the Day of Atonement.
• The day before Atonement, many Jewish families will prepare and enjoy a festive meal.
• It is a day of charitable giving and visiting others’ homes seeking and giving forgiveness.
• Most Jews observe a 25-hour fast on the day—that extends from sundown the day before Atonement to just after nightfall on the day of Atonement.

How Should a Spirit-Filled Torah Observant Believer in Yeshua Messiah Observe Atonement?

What follows is based solely upon my opinion which is based upon my personal study of Scripture, prayer, meditation and years of personal experience related to the Feasts of Yahovah and Yom Kippur.

At the very least, we must observe the day as a special Sabbath—mainly, no work and a day dedicated to focusing upon Father and our relationship with Him.

Additionally, we must consider what it means to afflict our souls and how we will convocate. These two aspects or elements of the Scriptural undergirding of the day must be worked out between us as individuals and with our Father.

The Temple is no longer with us. We are now the Temple of Yahweh (I Corinthians 3:16,17).

The High Priest applies the blood of the sacrifice to the mercy seat.

The offerings and the application of the blood to the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies in the Temple have been replaced by Master Yeshua who ceremonially accomplished this once and for all upon His ascension to heaven just after His crucifixion and resurrection. Hebrews 10:1-12.  Thus presenting an offering made by fire is not truly possible. Such offerings for us today take on a meaning that must be reconciled between us as individuals and Yahovah our Elohim.

Some give financial offerings and tithes to their assigned congregations and favorite Messianic ministries.  Some take a more spiritual bend (to which I tend to personally agree), whereby sacrifices of praise are offered—that is, the fruit of our lips giving praise to His Name (Hebrews 13:15).

In terms of afflicting our souls, I believe it should be a “complete fast” as suggested in Isaiah 58:3-6 and Acts 27:9.  I believe it could go even further than a fast, whereby we deny ourselves anything that we desire or feel we need for that day. (What that may be is again, between us as individuals and our heavenly Father.)

Prophetic Utterances of The Day of Atonement

The Feasts of Yahweh (the Moedim of our Elohim) are divinely appointed times of the sacred calendar year (Abba’s calendar) where He from the beginning determined to meet and commune with us (Genesis 1:14 and Leviticus 23:4).  They also serve as a yearly reminder of the things of our God (throughout the whole of Torah it talks about memorial).

Additionally, the Feasts of Yahweh seem to brilliantly paint for the Torah Observant Believer in Yeshua Messiah, Father’s Plan of Salvation. Hebrews 9:28-10:1 (READ) strongly suggests this.

• Passover-Yeshua our Passover Lamb slain for the sins of the world.
• Unleavened Bread—the purging of sin from our lives.
• Shavuot—the filling and indwelling of the Holy Spirit (i.e., the Ruach Kodesh) in our lives.
• Yom Teruah/Day of Trumpets—the resurrection and translation of the saints.
• Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement—the banishment of hasatan from the earth.
• Sukkot/Tabernacles—The advent of the Millennial Kingdom and Yahovah finally, once and for all, tabernacling amongst us—His people.

At least one prominent Messianic/Hebrew Roots teacher ties the Day of Atonement to the Great Tribulation and the destruction of Israel and Jerusalem.

Many tie The Day of Atonement with the prophetic event of Revelation 20:2,3 (READ) when hasatan will be eliminated and the world is freed from his deceiving influences. Then the Word of Yahovah will be proclaimed upon the earth and men will once and for all realize Truth without being deceived by the enemy. This is certainly a brilliant comparison to the ceremony involving the scapegoat being taken from the midst of the people and dragged out to the desert forever (Leviticus 16:7-10).

Closing Thoughts and Reflections

I do not presume to tell you how you should celebrate, observe or honor Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). It must be a thing between you and Yahovah. What I will say, however, is that we must honor the day, at the very least.

Presuming that we elect to honor the day, I believe that our efforts must transcend any and all taught or suggested rote/mechanically prescribed ideals and traditions and beliefs.

As well intending people of our Elohim, we tend to fall into this belief that we need to be told how to do—how to observe—what not to do—how best to do it—when it comes to the things of Yahuah; especially when it comes to the Feasts of Yahuah.

Why do we do this? Why do we acquiesce to the directions and prodding of those whom we hold up as paragons of our Faith Community as if they are Yeshua or Moses? I believe we do it because we genuinely want to do it right and we don’t want to make mistakes. We genuinely want to please our Elohim. Thus we seek direction on how to do it right and how to please our Elohim.

The truth of the matter is, however, that we have it within each of us to please Father without having to resort to the prescriptions of other people as relates to pleasing Father and observing His holy days. Such prescriptions are purview of religion. Religion’s role in the earth is to control the people and dictate to them how they are supposed to live.

I decided in my walk with Messiah to reject religion with all her trappings and traditions. Religion by her very nature is anti-Torah; anti-Elohim and anti-Messiah. Religion offers no place for the true worship of Yahovah and the working of the Holy Spirit (i.e., the Ruach Kodesh) in every aspect of the believer’s life. Why? Because the controllers of religion make the rules and dictate to the members how, when, where, why and everything in between. Religion then becomes man-centric as opposed to Elohim-centric.

The one thing I would not like us to do on this solemn, most sacred day of the Creator’s calendar year, is to acquiesce to the constructs of religion to direct our observance and honoring of the day. Instead, let us acquiesce to the leading of the Spirit to direct our observance and honoring of the day; with Torah as the foundation upon which we construct and put into practice our actions for the day.

No, I’m not saying that we go rogue and leave our observance of the day to chance and do whatever it is that we think is best to do. No. I’m saying, let us turn the day over to Father: His Word and His Ruach HaKodesh. Then and only then will be please our Father in heaven and observe the day properly.

In confronting the Judaizers, who were aggressively attempting to gain total control of the Messianic Assembly of Believers in Colossae, the Apostle Paul (i.e., Shaul) profoundly instructed:

16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:1 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. 18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,1 19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. 20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,1 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.1 (Col 2:16-3:1 KJV)

Now, churchianity would use this passage to support her claim that the Law was done away with. However, we who are in Messiah know the truth of this matter. Shaul was setting the plumb-line here and communicating to the Colossian Assembly that they are no longer men and women practicing the religion of Judaism. Instead, the assembly of believers were now dead to their dead religion with all her trappings and man-made traditions. Like the Colossian assembly members, we now belong to Messiah. Our worship of Yahuah is based upon our trusting faith in Messiah and is executed through the leading and agency of the Holy Spirit (i.e., the Ruach Kodesh).

Master informed the Samaritan Woman at the well:

21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (Joh 4:21-24 KJV)

I say, on this Day of Atonement, that we worship our Creator in Spirit and in Truth. Do that which is pleasing to Father. Let our hearts and minds be turned fully toward Him and His ways.

It is my sincerest hope, trust and prayer, that you have a spirit-filled—blessed and meaningful day and that we all come out on the other side of this moed, better than when we began it.

Shabbat Shalom. Have a blessed Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur. Shavuatov. Until next time.