Parashat HaShavua Yom Kippur / Day Of Atonement
This Week's Reading List:
VaYikra / Leviticus 16:1-34
Bamidbar / Numbers 29:7-11
Yeshayahu / Isaiah 57:14-58:14
Romim / Romans 3:21-26
Vayikra {16:1} HaShem spoke to Moshe (Moses), after the death of the two sons of Aharon (Aaron), when they drew near before HaShem, and died; {16:2} and HaShem said to Moshe, Speak to Aharon your brother, that he does not come at all times into HaKodesh (the holy / the separate) place within the veil, before the Kaporet (Ark-cover) seat which is on the Aron (Ark) ; that he not die: for I will appear in the cloud on the mercy seat. {16:3} Herewith shall Aharon come into HaKodesh place: with a young bull for a sin-offering, and a ram for an olah (whole burnt) offering.
It is not often that Yom Kippur falls on a Shabbat, but when it does the above Parasha in Vayikra read.
What intrigues me is that this Parasha begins with the death of Aharon’s two sons. What does this have to do with Yom Kippur and its theme as “The Day of Atonement?” Well, I believe that this portion begins with the death of Aharon’s two sons because it is telling us that we all have something to atone for -- the sin of disobedience! This sin of disobedience is what resulted in the deaths of Aharon’s two sons and, sadly, it is not restricted to them alone. We are all disobedient to G-d in some way or another and, therefore, we all need atonement. Disobedience to G-d is idolatry; disobedience is placing self-will ahead of G-d’s Will, and that is a major sin. In fact this is what Scripture has to say about someone who sins:
Yechekiel (Ezekiel) {18:4} "Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.
Is that not what happened to Aharon’s sons, did they not die? With this in mind, this beginning passage in our Parasha really pronounces what our etiquette and our attitude needs to be towards G-d as well as the atonement process so that G-d’s people will not die as a result of their sin:
Vayikra {16:7} He shall take the two goats, and set them before HaShem at the door of the Ohel Moed (Tent of Meeting). {16:8} Aharon shall cast lots on the two goats; one lot for HaShem, and the other lot for Azazel (goat-of-departure). {16:9} Aharon shall present the goat on which the lot fell for HaShem, and offer him for a sin-offering. {16:10} But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before HaShem, to make kappar (atonement) for him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness.
Seeing as every one of us are sinners and the soul that sins will die, because of HaShem’s justice no human would eventually remain alive on the earth. Therefore, HaShem provided His people with a way of atonement, as we read above.
Two goats were to take our place on Yom Kippur - this special day set aside for atonement. One goat was slaughtered as the required blood atonement for the sins that were committed by the people, it was their death substitute. This was an innocent animal that died in the place of the people. The second goat, called the “Scapegoat,” was sent away into the wilderness and signified that the sins of the people had departed from them and were forgiven, forgotten and banished far away from them. The process is also described to us in this Scripture:
Micah {7:19} He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
So we can now easily see the Yom Kippur process. We are all sinners and deserve to die; however, HaShem provides us with a pathway to atonement. Once the atonement is accomplished He then promises to never remember those sins or hold them against us ever again.
As we move into the Brit Chadasha (Renewed Covenant) we see that nothing has changed, the process of atonement is still the same:
Romim (Romans) {6:23} For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of G-d is eternal life through Yeshua HaMashiach (the Messiah) our L-rd.
Shaul (Paul) is explaining in this passage that Yeshua HaMashiach is our Yom Kippur atonement. What a relief and blessing especially considering that there is no longer a Bet HaMikdash (Temple) in which to offer up the two goats.
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Baruch HaShem
Rabbi Ya'acov Farber
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