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Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement") is the tenth day of the month of Tishrei. It is the holiest day of the Jewish year. On this day, G-d seals our fate for the coming year, therefore, the entire day is spent fasting and praying to G-d for forgiveness and a good year.

This year (5767/2006-2007) Yom Kippur begins on Sunday evening, October 1, and continues until Monday evening, October 2, 2006.

The Torah instructed the Jews to fast on the tenth day of the month of Tishrei and to refrain from work on that day like on Shabbat. Yom Kippur is one of the holiest days of the year. It is a time for introspection, self-correction, prayer, and teshuva. Frivolous activities are inappropriate for this time. The following are Jewish traditions practiced on Yom Kippur. The following items in this section are an illustration of the traditions found in the Word.

7. The time of Jacob's (Ya'akov) trouble (the birthpangs of the Messiah, Chevlai shel Mashiach)

Forgiveness (Teshuva) Teshuva can only help for sins between man and G-d. If, however, you have wronged another person then teshuva cannot function until one has received forgiveness from that person. It is therefore customary to seek out the forgiveness of anyone whom you may have sinned against before Yom Kippur begins.

Teshuva - Four Steps to Greatness

1.Regret (charata) Regret, as opposed to guilt, is that state which one feels a sense of loss. You have lost something of value you therefore feel that loss.

2.Abandonment (aziva) I lost my wallet, or worse yet, I lost a friend; now how do I avoid repeating the same mistake? Once you feel the loss it's then time to set out on a personal mission correct the wrong.

3.Confession (vidduy) Because when you verbalize your regret about a sin, you make the statement that you have knowledge of that sin.

1.Ashamnu / We Have Become Culpable: We have acted in ways that deaden our sense of spirituality, we were driven for profit and thus transgressed G-d's will, we hurt others out of self-centeredness, for our own pleasure we did what we knew was wrong, etc.

2.Al-Chet She-Chatanu Lefanecha B'emutz HaLev/ Hardheartedness: Jews recite the prayer known as Al Chet (for the sin of). This prayer covers the types of sins that we commit. Refusal to admit that we can be wrong, general stubbornness, denying our shortcomings, lack of compassion for the sick and poor, unwillingness to accept advice, being tough on ourselves or others when compassion was appropriate, etc. To say that Yom Kippur is a day for introspection and reflection is true, but it is also an oversimplification. I would like to suggest that you try a little exercise now: Ask yourself, "How many choices have I been confronted with today?" Mind you, these must be moral choices, choices of import. Those small choices that we often pass by, or through, with barely a notice.

The Fast (Tzom or Tzam) The Yom Kippur fast is the strictest of the entire year. The fast lasts for the entirety of the day, from sundown on the eve of Yom Kippur (erev Yom Kippur) till nightfall the following night, over twenty four hours. The fast involves five main prohibitions:

2.Washing one's body. This includes even washing a minute part of the body or even simply dipping one's finger into water. However, you may wash your hand's upon rising in the morning and after using the bathroom but only the absolute minimum, the fingers only. (One is also permitted to wash off actual dirt from one's hands.)

Prayer (Tefilah) The day of Yom Kippur is devoted entirely to prayer. While concentration on one's prayers and their meaning is important throughout the year, on Yom Kippur it carries even more significance. It is also customary to recite the Tefilah Zaka prayer in which you state that you forgive anyone who may have sinned against you in any way.

White Garments (begadechah lebanim or kittel) It is customary for men to wear a white tunic-like garment called a kittel during the prayers of Yom Kippur. The white kittel symbolizes purity. Furthermore, the kittel resembles burial shrouds that reminds us that we will die someday and thus humbles us to do teshuva.

The above traditions, liturgy and High Holidays prayers are found in a book called a High Holidays Machzor. This Machzor is a guide to the order of service for the High Holidays.

These prayers, liturgy and the Word of G-d found in the Holy Scriptures illustrate the truth of the need for atonement before G-d.

Atonement in the Tanach, the Word of G-d

Leviticus 16:1-28 Law of Atonement

Now the L-RD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they had approached the presence of the L-RD and died. 2 The L-RD said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. 3 "Aaron shall enter the holy place with this: with a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 "He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his body, and he shall be girded with the linen sash and attired with the linen turban (these are holy garments). Then he shall bathe his body in water and put them on. 5 "He shall take from the congregation of the sons of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 6 "Then Aaron shall offer the bull for the sin offering which is for himself, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household. 7 "He shall take the two goats and present them before the L-RD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 8 "Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the L-RD and the other lot for the scapegoat . 9 "Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the L-RD fell, and make it a sin offering. 10 "But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the L-RD, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat. 11 "Then Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering which is for himself and make atonement for himself and for his household, and he shall slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for himself. 12 "He shall take a firepan full of coals of fire from upon the altar before the L-RD and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil. 13 "He shall put the incense on the fire before the L-RD, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the ark of the testimony, otherwise he will die. 14 "Moreover, he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; also in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. 15 "Then he shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people, and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 16 " He shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and thus he shall do for the tent of meeting which abides with them in the midst of their impurities. 17 "When he goes in to make atonement in the holy place, no one shall be in the tent of meeting until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household and for all the assembly of Israel. 18 "Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the L-RD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar on all sides. 19 " With his finger he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times and cleanse it, and from the impurities of the sons of Israel consecrate it. 20 "When he finishes atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall offer the live goat. 21 "Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness. 22 "The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness. 23 "Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there. 24 " He shall bathe his body with water in a holy place and put on his clothes, and come forth and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 "Then he shall offer up in smoke the fat of the sin offering on the altar. 26 "The one who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water; then afterward he shall come into the camp. 27 "But the bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be taken outside the camp, and they shall burn their hides, their flesh, and their refuse in the fire. 28 "Then the one who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water, then afterward he shall come into the camp.

Leviticus 16:29-34 An Annual Atonement

"This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you; 30 for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the L-RD. 31 "It is to be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute. 32 "So the priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as priest in his father's place shall make atonement: he shall thus put on the linen garments, the holy garments, 33 and make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar. He shall also make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 "Now you shall have this as a permanent statute, to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year." And just as the L-RD had commanded Moses, so he did.

Leviticus 23:26-32 The Day of Atonement

The L-RD spoke to Moses, saying, 27 "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the L-RD. 28 "You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the L-RD your G-d. 29 "If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people. 30 "As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 "You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. 32 "It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your Sabbath."

Numbers 29:7-11

'Then on the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall humble yourselves; you shall not do any work. 8'You shall present a burnt offering to the LORD as a soothing aroma: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs one year old, having them without defect; 9 and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 10 a tenth for each of the seven lambs; 11 one male goat for a sin offering, besides the sin offering of atonement and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

Atonement can only be obtained by blood sacrifice to G-d. The blood sacrifice must be presented to G-d at the Temple.

Then the L-RD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel and say to them, 'This is what the L-RD has commanded, saying, 3 "Any man from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or who slaughters it outside the camp, 4 and has not brought it to the doorway of the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the L-RD before the tabernacle of the L-RD, bloodguiltiness is to be reckoned to that man. He has shed blood and that man shall be cut off from among his people. 5 " The reason is so that the sons of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they were sacrificing in the open field, that they may bring them in to the L-RD, at the doorway of the tent of meeting to the priest, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the L-RD. 6 "The priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the L-RD at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and offer up the fat in smoke as a soothing aroma to the L-RD. 7 " They shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat demons with which they play the harlot. This shall be a permanent statute to them throughout their generations."' 8 "Then you shall say to them, 'Any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, 9 and does not bring it to the doorway of the tent of meeting to offer it to the L-RD, that man also shall be cut off from his people. 10' And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. 11'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.' 12 "Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, 'No person among you may eat blood, nor may any alien who sojourns among you eat blood.' 13 "So when any man from the sons of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, in hunting catches a beast or a bird which may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. 14 " For as for the life of all flesh, its blood is identified with its life. Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, 'You are not to eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off.' 15 " When any person eats an animal which dies or is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or an alien, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and remain unclean until evening; then he will become clean. 16 "But if he does not wash them or bathe his body, then he shall bear his guilt."

Destruction of Jerusalem and the 2nd Temple September 70 A.C.E.

In the spring of 70, shortly before Passover, the Roman army under General Titus reached Jerusalem. A long siege, with assaults by battering rams, ended on September 11th when Roman troops entered the sanctuary of the temple and, intentionally or not, destroyed it by fire. Resistance continued in the upper city for another month, but the victory was complete. Exactly 40 years after Jesus' prophesy, Jerusalem and the temple were completely destroyed by Titus in the 2nd year of Emperor Vespasian's reign, and the Jews were scattered throughout the world. [Ezek 37: 1-14; Mark 13: 1-2] They remained scattered, persecuted, and without a country of their own for 1,878 years until 15 May 1948 when the nation of Israel was reborn.

The Temple was destroyed. There is no place to sacrifice to G-d. No other sacrifice other than blood sacrifice at the Temple is accepted by G-d. The only way to obtain atonement is by the blood sacrifice. All other means of sacrifice are not accepted by G-d. His Word not mine.

G-d knew that there would be no way for us to come to Him after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. He came in the form of a man to teach, preach and give His life as the only perfect sacrifice. He provided a sacrifice for Abraham during His testing of Abraham’s faith. He foretold of His Son in the prophecies in the Tanach. He came and died for us to have an eternal sacrifice for our sin. Here are some of those prophecies.

SUBJECT	PROPHECY	FULFILLMENT
The Messiah would be born of a virgin	Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the L-rd Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.	Luke 1:34-35 34 Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" 35 The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of G-d.
The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem	Micha 5:2 "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity."	Matthew 2:1-2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."
The Messiah would be a prophet like Moses	Deuteronomy 18:15-19 "The L-RD your G-d will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. 16 "This is according to all that you asked of the L-RD your G-d in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, "Let me not hear again the voice of the L-RD my G-d, let me not see this great fire anymore, or I will die.' 17 "The L-RD said to me, "They have spoken well. 18 "I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 "It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.	John 6:14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." Matthew 21:11 And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee." John 1:45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." John 5:46-47 "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. 47 "But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"
The Messiah would be G-d	Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty G-d, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.	John 12:45 "He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. John 10:30 "I and the Father are one."
The Messiah would be killed before the destruction of the Temple	Daniel 9:26 "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.	Matthew 24:1-2 Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 And He said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down." (Note: Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Roman General Titus in 70c.e., 38 years after Yeshua was crucified.)
The Messiah would enter Jerusalem on a donkey	Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.	Matthew 21:1-5 When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. 3 "If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, "The L-rd has need of them,' and immediately he will send them." 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 "SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, 'BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.'"
The Messiah’s hands and feet would be pierced	Psalms 22:16 For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet.	Luke 23:33 When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.
The Messiah would be resurrected from death	Psalms 16:10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.	Matthew 28:5-6 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.
The Messiah’s garments would be divided	Psalms 22:18 They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.	John 19:23-24 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. 24 So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be"; this was to fulfill the Scripture: "THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS."
The Messiah would be an atonement for the sins of the world	Isaiah 53:8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?	John 3:16 "For G-d so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of G-d who takes away the sin of the world!

When HaShem (G-d) makes a promise. He keeps it. All the time. Yeshua, the Abba and the Ruach Ha'Kodesh are one. Yeshua said:

John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life , and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

John 5:46-47 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

John 14:10-11 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

John 10:27-30 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one."

John 3:16-21 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 " He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 " For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

G-d is the supplier of all things. He created all things. We must submit to Him in all things. The hardest thing to do seems to be trusting in Him for His supply, in all things. He gave us the Tanach and the B'rit Hadashah (commonly referred to as the Old Testament and the New Testament). The teachings in these Divine documents are His instructions for life, to us. He expects His children to do as He tells us. We are all His children. The Bible is how He tells us what is acceptable to Him and what is unacceptable. A Father who loves His children teaches them how to do it and judges or disciplines them when they don't. He is a true loving Father Who has given us a way to come before Him, as He would have us come.

G-d requires blood sacrifice (in His Temple in Jerusalem) to forgive us our sins. He accepts no other sacrifice. There is no Temple in Jerusalem. This Temple was destroyed in 70 A.C.E. He is a loving G-d. G-d has given us a truly spotless Sacrifice for the sins that we commit. His sacrifice is an eternal sacrifice. The true Passover Lamb. The true Scapegoat. We can do nothing by our works to make up for those unacceptable sins that we commit. To be acceptable to G-d the Father, He must provide us the way. He has provided the way. L'chaim be'Yeshua l'olam va'ed. There is life in Yeshua (Jesus) forever and ever. These are His Words, in His language.

Apart from G-d there is no light and there is no good. G-d created the light. Light overcomes darkness. Darkness is the absence of light. G-d is light. Darkness can't overcome light as darkness is that which is without light. Faith is believing in what you haven't witnessed, seen or understood.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the L-rd your G-d, that you may obey (Hebrew = Li'Shema - you hear receive and obey) His voice, and that you may cling to Him,

Do you have ears to hear? Do you want to be in darkness, apart from G-d? If you could dwell in His presence and blessing for eternity, wouldn't you want to? If being wrong meant living in eternity, apart from G-d, wouldn’t you want to find a way to be with Him? If you were wrong about Who you think He is, wouldn’t you like to know?

The answer to these questions are simple. Ask Ha'Shem (G-d) to show you who the Messiah is and He will. Ask Him if Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah, and He will show you the Truth. Be honest with Him when you ask. If you truly seek His face He will bring you to Him.

Yom Kippur