Yom Kippur Just a Day of Fasting?
What did Yah truly mean by His people afflicting their souls on Yom Kippur? Was He commanded us to engage in just a fast?
Turns out that Abba requires more from us on Yom HaKippurim than just a full day of not eating and drinking.
Afflicting One’s Soul Means What Exactly?
Yah commands us to afflict our souls on Yom Kippur. And we find in the Tanach that our Ancient Jewish cousins were indeed faithful in doing the required fast on this set-apart day each year. However, Yah was clearly not satisfied with their obligatory fasts. Yah in fact required that their, and by extension us today, Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement soul affliction transcend their obligatory fast.
Although Yah commanded that His people afflict their souls on this set-apart day, His required fast transcends the simple act of fasting. For to afflict one’s soul on Yom Kippur gets him or her to the very heart of this set-apart day.
It in fact requires/demands that the Child of Yah step out of their comfort zone and into places that may not be familiar to them. Into Kingdom Living.
Yah requires His people to completely die to self, which when done properly and fully is afflicting to the soul. For when we truly afflict our souls by dying to self, it brings discomfort to our souls. And if we’re successful in truly afflicting our souls, we stand the greatest chance of being “at-one-ment” with the Creator of the Universe.
Afflicting the Soul in the Book of Esther
What does true affliction of one’s soul look like on Yom Kippur?
Well, we find a brilliant example of what it looks like in the Book and story of Esther. For we find therein that our Jewish cousins were facing an existential threat from some of their disgruntled captors. This existential threat led the people, via the leadership of Esther, to afflict their souls for purposes of securing Yah’s salvation from the threat levied against them.
Their affliction involved displaying great anguish; sitting in sackcloth and ashes; crying out to Yah; mmourning; fasting; weeping, and lamenting.
These bore everything in a great appeal to Yah that He stay His wrath and judgment against them.
Afflicting the Soul in Isaiah 58
We find probably the most definitive example of what it means from Yah’s perspective for His people to afflict their souls.
The Prophet Isaiah/Yeshayahu was sent to Judah to advise them that Abba was not the least bit happy with the substance of their fasts, no doubt the fast they were engaged in on Yom Kippur. So, instead of punishing them outright, Yah in His grace and mercy provided the nation a pathway to the reason and purpose and heart for which the set-apart day stood for.
The Prophet provided the people with a number of specific things that would constitute proper affliction of the people’s souls. But the most poignant of those things or elements involved the people dying to their old selves and living according to Yah’s way, and operating with a contrite heart and spirit before Yehovah.
When is Yom HaKippurim/The Day of ATonement This Year?
If you keep the observational calendar, Yom Kippur will begin for you at sundown on T-ursday, 10/6/2022. If you by chance keep the calculated rabbinic calendar, Yom Kippur for you will begin at sundown on T-esday, 10/4/2022.
Previous Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement Teachings You Might Find to be a Blessing to You
May you have a meaningful and blessed fast beloved.
Shalom
The Key to Knowing God: Remembering and Obeying
In the past two readings, which we did not cover because we were on hiatus for the Fall Feasts, Yisrael experienced or witnessed the inauguration of Pesach in the midst of the final tenth plague that resulted in the death of every Egyptian/Mitsri firstborn and the...
The Thirst-Quenching Waters of Sukkot-The Feast of Tabernacles 2022
Sukkot-The Feast of Tabernacles is the Season of our Joy True joy is an offshoot of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit or the Ruach HaQodesh in each of us. Our joy, especially as expressed through Yah's Feasts, is incomplete without the Ruach HaQodesh's influence....
The Realities of Yom Teruah 2022
Introduction to our Discussion Welcome to the Day of the Blowing of Trumpets, or better, the Blowing of Shofars 2022. And with that, we pray that you are earnestly preparing and eagerly awaiting the arrival of Yom Teruah 2022. The title of our...
An Overview of the Fall Feasts of the LORD 2022-Part 1 of the Fall Feasts of the LORD 2022 Series
Resurrection Truth versus Rapture Error-Part 3 of the Death, the Grave, and the Resurrection Series
Introduction This is “Resurrection Truth versus Rapture Error.” This will be the 3rd installment to our Death, the Grave, and Resurrection series which spun off from our Torah Reading 45 which was entitled “And he (Ya’achov) was Gathered Unto His People. ...
Even the Small Things Matter to God-A Messianic Study of Exodus 4:22-26-STAR-48
Introduction This is “Even the Small Things Matter to God.” This is the 48th Reading of our 3-year Torah Reading Cycle. It is contained in Exodus/Shemot 4:14-6:1. But we will be focusing just on verses 22 to 26. Looking Back to STAR-47, entitled “God’s Holy...
Rosh Chodesh 6th Month 2022-The Start of the 6th Biblical Month
Chag Sameach Rosh Chodesh beloved. Happy and blessed 6th Month to you all. As I am posting this brief discussion here on The Messianic Torah Observer, the renewed moon will have been sighted by at least two-trained observers in Yisra’el. Thus, wherever we live ...
God’s Holy Character–A Messianic Study of Exodus 3:1-4:13
Introduction This is God’s Holy Character-A Messianic Study of Exodus 3:1-4:13. It is the 47th Torah Portion of our 3-year Torah-reading cycle. Now, despite there being a great many historical and spiritual nuggets that the practical, truth-seeking...
Death-the Grave-the Resurrection-Part 2
Introduction This is part 2 of our discussion on death, the grave, and the resurrection. And we will be picking up where we left off in part 1, which if you haven’t had the opportunity to either read or listen to that post on any of the platforms in which...
He Was Gathered unto His People-Death-The Grave-The Resurrection–Part-1–STAR-45
Introduction This is “He Was Gathered unto His People—Death-The Grave-The Resurrection—Part 1” This will be a discussion on the 45th Torah Reading of our 3-year Torah Reading Cycle. Our focus text is Genesis/Beresheit 49:27-50:26. This passage concludes...