Forever Near – Not Once a Year
This year once again Jewish people in communities across the globe will observe the solemnest day of the year in Jewish life, Yom Kippur,[1] the Day of Atonement. With a Temple no longer standing since its destruction in 70 AD, and in the centuries which followed, religious traditions developed in Judaism regarding commemorating Yom Kippur.
The traditions around this most holy time are practiced in reverent sincerity. The command in Leviticus 23:27 is to “afflict your souls” to atone for sins committed against God during the year. In this season, observant Jewish people try to make amends to others they have wronged in hopes they will merit God’s favor, Who will inscribe their name in the Book of Life for the coming year.
As I think about what Yom Kippur has become in the Jewish community and some of the traditions which are now practiced, I am saddened. Religious adherence, fasting, and the interpretation of affliction done for Yom Kippur today has little resemblance of the Day of Atonement in the pages of the Torah.[2]
After the destruction of the Second Temple, which had been at the heart of Jewish religious life, the rabbinic authorities needed a substitute for the God-ordained sacrificial system. The traditions and instructions of the rabbis, already present in Jesus’ day,[3] were carried in the Oral Law. Over time, the rulings of the rabbis developed such prohibitions as: no eating cheeseburgers, no tearing toilet paper on Shabbat, and no wearing leather shoes on Yom Kippur.
How did this happen? I believe a former Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus,[4] gives us the answer. He wrote these words in a letter to Jews and Gentiles who believed in Jesus in the city of Rome.[5]
Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them [Israel] is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Romans 10:1-4)
I wrote a poem which conveys my sadness. It is not to demean sincerely-held beliefs and traditions of the Jewish community. Rather, if someone reads this, I hope they will see how far traditions have strayed from the Torah. I hope they consider honestly looking at what the Scriptures say about the Messiah and come to understand that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah foretold in the Tanakh (Old Testament).
There is nothing wrong with abstaining from the following as prescribed for Yom Kippur: eating and drinking, bathing, anointing, wearing leather shoes, and marital relations. A day set aside to focus on God, to confess sin and to ask for forgiveness is a day well spent. However, if traditions which are not found in Scripture replace what God actually desires from us, then my hope is if you are reading this, you will contact us so we may speak. with you about Who Yom Kippur points to.
God’s desire?
Converse or Crocs,[6]
what shall I wear?
But leather shoes,
I do not dare.
To afflict my soul
and achieve my goal
I’ll do my best
to pass the test
that my name may be
inscribed by Thee
in the book of life,
I’ll withhold relations with my wife,
and make amends for previous strife.
I’ll fast and pray
on the sacred day.
I’ll swing a chicken
above my head[7]
for it to die in my stead.
Is this really what God needs?
Does this atone for my deeds?[8]
With the Temple gone,
what to do?
to cover sins the whole year through.
Sins of me, sins of you.
Could it be true what “they” say
about Yeshua and this day?
He paid the price
through sacrifice;[9]
once for all atonement made
by His blood the payment paid.
What is left for you to do?
Believe that He died for you!
Moses said God would raise
a prophet like him in coming days.[10]
Isaiah foretold so we could see
His rejection ordained by decree.[11] [12]
He would die on the tree[13]
to take our sins and set us free.[14]
Who He’d be when He came,
for He bore God’s own name.[15]
As you reflect upon your year,
are you willing in reverent fear
to ask God to draw you near
and if Yeshua is Messiah – to make it clear?[16]
Written by Jeff, Life in Messiah staff
If you have never considered if Yeshua Jesus is the Messiah, would you ask God if He might be? Reach out if you have sincere questions.
If you already have trusted Yeshua for forgiveness of your sins, with whom would God have you share the message of salvation by grace through faith?
Don’t know much about Yom Kippur? Read more here, or watch this video.
Endnotes:
[1] https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/yom-kippur-history-and-overview.
[2] Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 16:1-34; Leviticus 23:27-28.
[3] See Jesus’ exchange with religious rulers regarding traditions in Mark 7, for example.
[4] Acts 22:3; Acts 7:58; Acts 8:1; 2 Corinthians 11:22; Philippians 3:4-6.
[5] Known as Paul in the New Testament after meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus and his miraculous coming to faith. Acts 9:1-18; Acts 26:1-18.
[6] https://reformjudaism.org/blog/why-i-wear-converse-sneakers-yom-kippur.
[7] https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/kaparot/.
[8] Leviticus 8:15; 16:11-14; Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22; Hebrews 13:12.
[9] Psalm 22.
[10] Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 3:22-23; 7:37.
[11] Isaiah 52:13-53:12.
[12] Daniel 9:24-27; Psalm 2; Matthew 16:21.
[13] Acts 5:30.
[14] John 8:32; Romans 8:1-2; Galatians 3:13-14.
[15] Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Matthew 1:18-23.
[16] Proverbs 8:17; Proverbs 15:8.
Do you have Jewish friends? Would you ask them to read Isaiah 53 and ask why it is missing in the haftarot?
To learn more about Rosh Hashanah, check out our page on the feasts.
Would you pray for the Jewish community, especially during Rosh Hashanah, that they might discover the Suffering Servant whom many of them have missed?