day of atonement

Welcome to our series looking at an overview of the whole Bible story. Throughout the year we will be tracing through the story, looking at key passages and seeing how it all fits together into one narrative.

This week we're thinking about the day of atonement in Leviticus 16 and the provisions needed for the Holy God we saw in Exodus 19-20 to dwell amidst a sinful people.

For more info about Grace Church and to find other talks and resources, visit greenwich.church

If you're enjoying GRACE POD don't forget to subscribe or even leave a review!

God's culture is all about family, and of gathering that family together. The unity of the gathered church presents a beautiful image to the rest of the world. When the church gathers, we celebrate and enjoy one another, and we also intentionally gather to God's word, with time set aside to hear and understand what God is calling us to be and to do together. Ezra and Nehemiah gathered God's people on the Day of Atonement, and they realigned themselves to God's word. Like the Jewish people on that day, when we are reminded together of God's word and God's purpose, both genuine repentance and deep joy strengthen our hearts. Tears and celebration may both be appropriate, and there is room for both! Ultimately, we can be a rejoicing people as we understand God's word to us through Christ!

Rabbi Gary's message for Yom Kippur 2023 on September 24, 2023 at Tarzana, CA. The recording also includes the Kol Nidre, sung by Alan Cohen.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, followed by Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and together with the 10 days of deep contemplation between them, they are known as the Days of Awe, or the High Holy Days–but apparently only in the U.S. Also–spoiler alert!--it’s not the actual “new year” on the Jewish calendar. Or at least not since ancient times…but we’ll get into all that. This episode is here to help, you, me, whoever, understand how to “do” Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, or just a bit more about them. Listen in to learn what to say and not say to your Jewish friends, a short list of sins you should be thinking about, and some of the ways our oddball family approaches the major themes and responsibilities of the season, including repentance, reflection, forgiveness, celebration (or not).

GLOSSARY
Chag Sameach: Translates to “Happy Holiday”, the generic expression to share well-wishes on any holiday. 

Talmudic period: Referring to the time between approximately 64-70 and 500-640 CE, beginning with the first Jewish revolt against Roman rule and including the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple that resulted in the exile of the Jews, and the eventual rise of great rabbis such as Akiva and Hillel, whose writings, along with other scholars of this period, were eventually compiled into the Mishnah and Gemara, which, together, comprise the Jewish book of law known as the Talmud. During this period, Hillel also created the lunar Jewish calendar commonly used today.

Yom Hazikaron: Translates to “Day of Remembrance” and is observed in Israel to remember fallen soldiers, in the same way as Memorial Day in the U.S. is.

Yom ha'atzmaut: Israeli Independence Day

Madrichim: Translated as “teachers,” “leaders,” or “guides,” madrichim are generally teenagers trained in Jewish leadership programs.

Sitting Shiva: The practice of mourning death for seven days including customs such as sitting low to the ground and covering mirrors, during which the immediate family of the deceased receives guests to care for and bring them food so they can sit and be present in their grief.

Machzor: A Jewish prayer book arranged in specific liturgical order for the High Holidays. 

Shulchan Aruch: The Jewish legal code compiled in the 1500s by Sephardic rabbi Joseph Caro.

Mitzvot: Often translated as “good deeds,” the word actually means “commandments.” 

Shofar: The horn of a kosher animal, often a ram, ceremonially blown on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

More:
Check out the Stoic Coffee Break on your favorite podcast app and listen for Erick Cloward's episode on Jew-ish!

Like the show? Support it! Or don't, that's cool too. Just glad you're here! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2196108/supporters/new

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, should be a time of introspection, but it often feels like we're so overwhelmed by our own guilt, by the idea of coming to terms with ourselves, that we don't know where to start.

In this episode, join Rabbi Fohrman as he takes a deeper look at the 13 Attributes of Mercy and uncovers a path to finding true forgiveness during the High Holidays.

Check out Rabbi Fohrman’s course on the Book of Jonah that can completely change the way you read the story. Also, enjoy the course on the Laws of Teshuva Rabbi Fohrman mentions in this episode.

What did you think of this episode? We’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts, questions, and feedback. Leave us a voice message – just click record, and let your thoughts flow.

Into the Verse is a project of Aleph Beta, a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide. If you’re enjoying this podcast, help support our work by subscribing to Aleph Beta.

For past episodes of Into the Verse, go to our website, alephbeta.org, where a premium subscription gets you access to all of our past episodes and our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts on the parsha, holidays, and so much more

Follow us on your favorite social media.

Rabbi Gary teaches the Jewishness of Christianity, In this episode, Gary discusses Yom Kippur. This 1 minute radio feature will air on KKLA 99.5 in Los Angeles, beginning September 22,, 2023, on Fridays during rush hour.

The Day of Atonement encompassed humility of fasting, burnt offerings, and sabbath rest. From these examples we can see how significantly God focused on the heart of the believer in approaching this day. They were to be sincerely humble, thanking God for his provision, delivering their whole selves to him, and understanding they were recognizing this day as an intermission, a hold or pause button in their busy schedules.

Because the ancient Day of Atonement was a national event, the disobedience of the nation was completely resolved through dual atonements of the goat of sacrifice and the goat of departure. In Yeshua’s day, this same result was effected through his simple and profound faithfulness in submitting to the will of the Father. As Israel’s representative king, he willingly took on the sins of the entire nation at once, allowing the covenant of Sinai to be fulfilled before Yahweh, and releasing those who placed their faith in him from the effects of sin and death. All that has been required for his people is faith in the substitutionary gift of himself, just as faith in the substitutionary goats was required in the original institution.

As mentioned in the previous discussion surrounding Yom Teruah (Day of Trumpets), this period of the fall cycle of biblical holidays is the corroborating balance of the spring cycle.  In the spring pattern, God raised up Moses as a deliverer for Israel from slavery and the worldliness of Egypt. In the fall pattern, God raised up Messiah to deliver his people from slavery to sin and the worldliness of corrupted religion. Just as the lamb at Passover provided physical deliverance from death for the firstborn of each family, the Yom Kippur ritual provided spiritual deliverance from sin for the firstborn nation of God: Israel. As Yom Kippur is six months removed from Passover, it is the counter-balance of the annual cycle, harking back to the same redemptive themes of that event. They are both about God redeeming and delivering his people from both sin and death; two witnesses to the faithful work of God.

As Israel was to be a light for the rest of the nations, the patterns established in their history still teach us in the nations about God’s faithfulness today. Since the spiritual Kingdom was established at the time of Yeshua, and it is eternally growing until it fills the earth, we can apply principles learned by their example. The principles set down in their narrative allow us to draw conclusions about how God desires to interact with all of humanity for all time. 

---

Well, I hope these studies on the fall festivals of the biblical calendar are bringing you some concepts and ideas to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. And be sure to visit coreofthebible.org for all of the podcasts on our podcast page there.

Once again, thanks for joining me today!

All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

MORE INFO:

Visit the blog articles and full podcast archive at: coreofthebible.org

Email questions or comments to Steve at: coreofthebible@gmail.com

MUSIC:

All music in today's episode: "Brittle Rille" by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Sermon 67 in Series

Exodus 25:10-22

[10] “They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. [11] You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. [12] You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. [13] You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. [14] And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. [15] The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. [16] And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you.

[17] “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. [18] And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. [19] Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. [20] The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. [21] And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. [22] There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.   How does the narrative structure of Exodus teach us that we are saved for worship? How does this conflict with our me-centered culture?
2.   How is the ark both glorious and humble? How does it emphasize holiness?
3.   Why did the ark contain the Ten Commandments? What does this say about the relationship between God’s Word and our worship?
4.   What was the function of the mercy seat in Israel’s worship? What do the cherubim communicate?
5.   In what ways does the ark point to the person and work of Christ? How does it invite us to joyful and reverent worship?

References: Romans 11:36; Genesis 50:26; 2 Samuel 6:6-7; Exodus 24:12; Leviticus 16:15-16; Genesis 3:24; Psalm 80:1; 1 Peter 1:12; Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:11-12; 1 Corinthians 6:19.