Yom Kippur, the most sacred twenty-five hours in the Jewish calendar, was celebrated on October 8-9 this year, and millions of Jewish people, even those who openly declare that they are atheists, observed this unique day by fasting and avoiding any form of labor.
Why do they do this?
Yom Kippur has become something of a national tradition profoundly rooted in the Jewish soul and culture. In the Torah, also known as the Pentateuch, the Israelites are commanded to “afflict their souls” on this day “to make atonement for you before Jehovah your God” (Leviticus 23: 27-28).
This most holy of all days is not a day of sorrow, but rather a time of awe and reverence widely used for reflection over one’s deeds, but also identification with Jewish historical events. Many within mainstream Judaism–such as Orthodox, Reform, Conservative and Karaite Jews–use this time to seek atonement, or covering, for their sins. Not a few Jewish Yeshua-Believers (JYB’s) fast on this day, although they do not believe that fasting, prayer and good deeds alone are enough to atone for sin.
Atonement for JYB’s is through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Yeshua the Son of God and the Creator of this world. His inconceivable suffering, humiliation and divine blood shed on the Cross of Golgotha two millennia ago is the ultimate atonement for human sin. Therefore, JYB’s fast on Yom Kippur as a way of expressing identification with and compassion for their Jewish brethren.
While Leviticus 23 briefly mentions Yom Kippur and the concept of atonement, in Leviticus 16:29-30, which gives a fuller description of the ceremony’s significance, we find that atonement is also for the “purification from sin.” It is interesting that in both these chapters the idea of forgiveness is completely absent. Only in other chapters in the Torah do we read that atonement and forgiveness are closely connected and interdependent, for example in Leviticus 5:16 and Numbers 15:25.
According to the foremost Hebrew Dictionary by Avraham Even-Shoshan, forgiveness is explained as an atonement for sins. And, not surprisingly, the same dictionary says that atonement means “forgiveness of sins.” Even-Shoshan clearly understood atonement and forgiveness to be synonymous, concepts that brought about the same result.
However, according to the teaching of the Lord Yeshua, forgiveness and atonement should be understood in a different way. A Yeshua-believer can have atonement, yet at the same time not have – automatically – forgiveness. For example, the atonement, or redemption of the Son of God is granted gratis to all who accept Him and keep His commandments (Matt 20:28; Luke 9: 23-26). On the other hand, Yeshua points out that if people who are redeemed do not forgive others for their trespasses, their Father in heaven will not forgive their sins (Matt 6:15).
Furthermore, the same is also true of a believer who blasphemes the Holy Spirit, a sin that will not be forgiven. The Lord Yeshua clearly says: “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men” (Matt 12:31).
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