Day of Atonement – the most solemn day of the year in the Jewish calendar. Dr. Faydra Shapiro, a specialist in contemporary Jewish-Christian relations from the Israel Center for Jewish-Christian Relations in Galilee, speaks about the spiritual and biblical meaning of Yom Kippur for the Heschel Center.
On Yom Kippur, everyone gathers to stand before God and, united in prayer, ask for His forgiveness.
Origins
The holiday of Yom Kippur originates in the Bible, though the Old Testament description differs from how it is observed today. The most important biblical account of this day is found in the Book of Leviticus and describes the high priest Aaron preparing to enter the place called the Holy of Holies in the temple, seeking forgiveness for his sins. He offers a sacrifice to the Lord, and taking a live goat, lays his hands on its head, confesses the sins of the Israelites, and then drives it into the wilderness. “This image is very powerful – it shows our sins disappearing into the wilderness, fading into oblivion,” explains Dr. Shapiro.
Prayer and Fasting
After the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, Jews no longer offer sacrifices, have no high priest to perform them, and do not drive out a scapegoat. Nevertheless, the Day of Atonement did not disappear and is still observed. In order to fulfill their religious duties, the people pray and fast. On this day, five distinct services are held – two more than on regular weekdays. “The confessional prayer once recited by the high priest over the scapegoat has now been replaced by a public confession by the entire congregation, repeated ten times throughout the day,” explains Faydra Shapiro. As Dr. Shapiro emphasizes, this day is taken extremely seriously by Jews, because atonement is not magic.“It’s not that if we do certain things in a specific way, we receive forgiveness. We receive God’s mercy and forgiveness because of who God is, not because of what we do. Our task is to make the greatest possible effort involving remorse, repentance, and repairing relationships. Prayer is a perfect tool for that,” says Dr. Faydra Shapiro.
The most important biblical source concerning this day is found in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Leviticus. Aaron, preparing to enter the Holy of Holies in the Lord’s sanctuary, seeks forgiveness for his sins and those committed by his family. He sacrifices a bull and makes atonement for the entire people by offering a goat. After sprinkling certain places in the sanctuary and the holy altar with its blood, he then takes a live goat and, placing both hands on its head, confesses the sins of the Israelites. The released goat carries the sins into the wilderness. “This image is very powerful – it shows our sins disappearing into the wilderness, fading into oblivion. Today, we Jews have no Temple or high priest, we don’t offer animal sacrifices or send out a scapegoat. Still, the Day of Atonement has not vanished – it is still observed,” Shapiro emphasizes.
So how do Jews atone for their sins today? What happens? Where is the scapegoat in the synagogue? “On Yom Kippur, we do many exceptional things, but there are no goats or blood. The confessional prayer once recited by the high priest over the scapegoat has now been replaced by a public confession by the entire congregation, repeated ten times throughout the day,” the expert explains. With the destruction of the Second Temple, it became clear that for Judaism to survive such a massive crisis, it would have to reinterpret and revise its practices. It was determined that in this tragic situation, the people could fulfill sacrificial obligations by reading and listening to them. This was based on the prophetic and psalmic critiques of the sacrificial system. On this foundation, it was established that saying prayers aloud was equivalent to offering a sacrifice and brought about the same effect. Ancient rituals were therefore not forgotten or erased but are present in the prayers of Yom Kippur. “We have five distinct services, unlike weekdays which have only three, and Sabbaths and festivals which have four. Since on the Day of Atonement we fast and don’t need to break for meals, the entire day is devoted to prayer,” explains Dr. Shapiro.
The morning Torah reading on Yom Kippur comes from the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Leviticus, which contains the description of the original atonement practices. One of the day’s “additional” services is devoted to recounting and recalling in prayer the actions of the High Priest on this solemn day. “The confessional prayer once recited by the high priest over the scapegoat has now been replaced by a public confession by the entire congregation, repeated ten times throughout the day.” Something very important and beautiful happens here, because atonement is not magic. “It’s not that if we do certain things in a specific way, we receive forgiveness. We receive God’s mercy and forgiveness because of who God is, not because of what we do. Our task is to make the greatest possible effort involving remorse, repentance, and repairing relationships. Prayer is a perfect tool for that, even though in the past our people accomplished this through sacrifices,” concludes Dr. Faydra Shapiro.
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Dr. Faydra Shapiro is a specialist in contemporary Jewish-Christian relations and director of the Israel Center for Jewish-Christian Relations in Galilee. She received the National Jewish Book Award for her first publication (2006). Her most recent book, co-authored with Gavin D’Costa, is “Contemporary Catholic Approaches to the People, Land and State of Israel.” Dr. Shapiro is also a lecturer at the Philos Project and a research fellow at the Center for the Study of Religions at Tel Hai College in Israel.
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