Rabbi's Drash

Yom Kippur

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Numbers 30:2-36:13
 

In various commentaries, our sages explain the reason for fasting on Yom Kippur. Their explanations go from the physical to the esoteric concerning the denial of ourselves. How are we to understand the concept of self-denial? Yeshua himself told us that if we wanted to follow him, we were to deny ourselves, to take up our own execution stake and basically nail ourselves to it. In reality to deny ourselves is really to stop living for ourselves completely. It would seem an impossible thing to do. The picture that Torah paints about the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) on the special day, Yom Kippur is one of purity. The regulations are plentiful concerning how he is to prepare himself one week in advance of his duties on Yom Kippur, how his vestments are to white and clean, how often he is change them etc. He was the only person who was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. He was the intercessor begging G-d to forgive all of Israel's sins for one more year. He put his life at risk entering this Holy of Holies for if any one of the regulations was not fulfilled properly, his life could be taken. He had to completely deny himself and go before the living G-d for the sake of Kehal Israel. Today we as believers each take on the role of a high priest for the whole community of G-d. We are not an island unto ourselves. We depend upon each other. We cannot live alone. In order to see how one decision can affect each other, think about Adam and Eve's decision to eat the fruit. The entire human race has suffered the consequences of their decision. Do you realize how important you are in G-d's eyes? Do you realize how your actions can affect others in a good or bad way? Many say, "It's my life, I can do what I want" when they decide to have too much to drink. What can they say to the family and friends after they have killed someone with their drunk driving? What did Cain say to G-d after he had murdered his brother Abel…."Am I my brother's keeper?" I say to you, "yes, you are your brother's keeper" and we need to live in community with this in mind. Yom Kippur is such an important time in the Jewish Community. We go to the synagogues, beat our breasts and cry out "al Chet aux li "to G-d. We have sinned Lord, please forgive us and write our names in your Book of Life. We as a nation need to truly admit to G-d and to each other that we have sinned and that our actions affect now only the whole nation but also the world. We are a people chosen by G-d to be His cohanim to the peoples of the earth and we have dismally failed. The world is suffering due to our failure whether we like to admit it or not. Why was there only one High Priest to represent the whole nation? Caiaphas, the High Priest at the time of Yeshua (Yohanan 18:14) prophesied that it was better that one man die for the sake of the nation, then the whole nation. Without realizing it, he was pointing to the fact that Yeshua would indeed give his life for the salvation of not only the nation of Israel but all those goyim Tsaddikim who would also be part of the chosen people of G-d. There is a wonderful story in the Talmud about the Azazel lzazi. Every year there were two goats chosen by the high priest- one for the sacrifice and the other, the Azazel lzazi (scapegoat). The high priest would tie a scarlet thread to the horns of the Azazel lzazi and put all the sin of Israel upon this animal before setting it free in the desert. The scarlet thread would then turn white. It is written that 40 years before the destruction of the Temple, the thread no longer turned white and no one knows why (Yoma 39b, Shabbat 22b, Munchot 86b). It coincides exactly with the time that Yeshua died on the Roman crucifixion stake. No coincidence at all! Yeshua died in order that we can atonement forgiveness for our sins. This is the ultimate denial for the sake of the community. I as Rabbi cry out for my people who have lost their compass and cannot see our Messiah. We as believers on this day by our fasting and prayers are interceding to our G-d for those who have not come to believe yet in our Messiah Yeshua. We are not fasting for our own sakes but for the whole nation. We need to stop thinking about ourselves and begin serving others. It is time to live for others. As high priests clothed in white robes we need to remember that we have been given white robes by G-d by what Yeshua did for us. He took our scarlet robes and turned them to white. We have nothing to boast about in ourselves. It is due to Yeshua's sacrificial death that we can be assured that our names are inscribed indelibly in the Book of Life. He won victory over death for us. However his atonement is not a blank check for us. It does not give us license to do whatever we want to do. We have been purchased at a very high price. Now we realize that we have a very high calling and there are no longer any excuses. If we examine what took place in the Temple on the Day of Yom Kippur we would better understand how disgusting our sin is to G-d. The Temple became a slaughterhouse with the killing of thousands of innocent animals. The High Priest would take the blood and sprinkle it on the altar. Imagine the sight and the smell from all the blood being shed that day. If we would only realize how serious sin is to G-d and the price of sin, we would understand that we don't deserve to live. We are all a slave to sin whether we admit or not. So my message to you on this important day is that we consider the high cost of our freedom and that we rejoice that our names have been written, that we have been forgiven through a self-less act by G-d Himself. May we no longer live as an island unto ourselves but learn to live in community following the example of our Messiah Yeshua. We are our brother's keepers. May we enjoy the Presence of G-d as we look forward to Sukkoth and to Yeshua's second coming!      May G-d add blessings to His Word!      Rabbi Percy Johnson      Netanel ben Yochanan      [nxy [b lantn      © 2008 Use by Permission      Kehilat She’ar Yashuv

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