A Message for Yom Kippur

The reading for this Shabbat (Yom Kippur) details the rituals performed when the Temple stood in Jerusalem. While few of us today aspire for the return of animal sacrifices, perhaps we can appreciate the devotion which motivated our ancestors when they sought to get close to God in their own fashion.

Leviticus 16:6 “And Aaron shall present the bull of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house.”


We usually translate "Yom Kippur" as "Day of Atonement." The Hebrew word "kippurim" is from a root meaning "to cover" (and actually is related to the word for the covering of the ark - parochet). The rituals described in the Yom Kippur reading were intended to "cover up" the ritual improprieties committed by the priest, Levites, and the people during the previous year. In our reading, after the recitation of the sacrificial requirements, the people are enjoined to "afflict their souls" (the basis of fasting in our modern observance).

In the Torah itself, and in the rabbinic discussions which followed over the centuries, there is a certain lack of clarity between "ritual impurity" and "sin." Many day-to-day sacrificial offerings were called "sin" offerings, but in reality were to atone for errors in ritual behavior, or for the ritual impurities arising from bodily functions or contact with impure objects (e.g., a dead person).

In part because of the connection between ritual impurity and sin, the prophets were concerned that the ritual sacrifices would be viewed as a way to annul not only ritual errors but moral improprieties as well. Ezekiel (18:20), Hosea (14:2) and Malachi (3:7) all stress the ideal of atonement through a "return" to God. This concept of "return" ("teshuvah") has become the central focus of Yom Kippur. And of course, Isaiah, in the haftarah read on Yom Kippur, explains the importance of action over empty ritual (58:6-9):
“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?...

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’”

On Yom Kippur, we focus on ages-old rituals with great care. We want to do it “the right way” and use the “right melodies.” As the prophets so clearly remind us, while we cannot and should not ignore the ritual, neither are we permitted to simply “go through the motions.” As Isaiah so eloquently reminds us, Yom Kippur is a stirring not only of the soul, but is also a call to action: to free the oppressed, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked and seek the closeness of friends and family. It is then that God will be disposed to answer our prayers. May you and yours be sealed in the Book of Health, Prosperity, and Life for the year to come.