Participants: Alex Schlusser (Host), Rachael Hyman (Host), Sasha Bolotnikov
Series Code: BTOR
Program Code: BTOR000014
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00:01 Have you ever wondered
00:02 what the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur is all about? 00:05 Well, stay tuned with us and you will find out. 00:28 Welcome once again to Back to Our Roots. 00:31 I'm Pastor Alex Schlusser and this is my co-host-- 00:33 Rachael Hyman. 00:35 And we want to welcome you to our program. 00:36 We have a really, really interesting program today. 00:40 Rachel, we are gonna be talking about the holiday Yom Kippur. 00:45 The Levitical holiday also know possibly as a feast day 00:51 but we want to get into this 00:53 and I think that you have some experiences 00:56 may be growing up with Yom Kippur? 00:59 Yeah, I remember fasting as a young child 01:02 because you know that was what we are supposed to do 01:04 as a Jewish family is to fast on Yom Kippur. 01:07 I didn't know completely exactly what I was doing 01:09 but when I think of Yom Kippur, 01:11 yeah I think of memories of fasting, 01:13 memories of repentance coming back to God things like that. 01:19 All right, I know my memories 01:22 of going to the synagogue with my grandparents 01:25 and not being able to wear any leather. 01:29 Right-- Oh, I didn't know that. 01:31 Yeah, we dressed in-- I couldn't have a leather belt 01:35 and I remember couldn't wear dress shoes 01:37 I had this plain white sneakers that we wore. 01:40 So they have to do with like humidity? 01:42 Yeah, they had the idea of reflecting yourself 01:44 not dressing up and I remember 01:46 like my grandfather he wouldn't shave, 01:49 we weren't suppose to brush our teeth. Wow. 01:51 Right, all those things 01:53 but you know what the crazy thing was Rachel, 01:55 is that I don't think I ever really understood 01:58 what I was doing. Yeah. 02:01 Or why you know, it was a bunch of things that I was told. 02:03 Well, these are the things you know, 02:04 we are going right, and we are supposed to. 02:08 Well, we hope on today's program 02:11 that we are gonna be able to open up 02:13 and get into some of the depth of Yom Kippur. Awesome. 02:17 And we would like at this time to bring out 02:20 Alexander Bolotnikov we call him Sasha. 02:22 He is our--we call him our resident scholar. 02:26 He is--has his doctorial or is a PhD. 02:32 And Sasha adds a whole another layer to our conversations. 02:37 We are gonna jump right into it if that's okay with you, Sasha. 02:39 Because we want to, we want to get into what-- 02:41 what does the Bible teach about Kippur about Yom Kippur? 02:47 And I think we want to launch out of the Book of Leviticus, 02:51 specifically Leviticus Chapter 10, 02:53 because God speaks to Moses 02:55 and Moses is actually talking now to the people. 02:59 And He is not very happy with them 03:03 in this passage if you remember. 03:05 And He says I quote "Since it is a thing most holy 03:09 and has been given to you that you 03:11 might bear the iniquity of the congregation, 03:14 to make atonement for them." 03:16 And I think when we talk about Yom Kippur 03:18 that's one of the things that seems to run around in our mind 03:21 this idea of atonement and what really--what does that mean 03:27 and what is Moses trying to say to the people. 03:30 Yeah, that's very important question 03:34 we need to really look into 03:37 because indeed the English word atonement or reconciliation 03:43 doesn't really reflect the notion 03:48 the Hebrew notion of Kippur which is in the Bible. 03:52 Which is actually the-- if we go into the Old Testament 03:55 and we look at the word that atonement 03:58 is translated from it's the Hebrew word Kippur. 04:01 Yes, yes, it's a Hebrew word Kippur, 04:05 the verb Kiper 04:08 which is you know and that particular text Alex, 04:14 which you just read, you know, it talks about the stories 04:20 about Nadab and Abihu sons of Aaron 04:23 who went with a foreign fire into the sanctuary 04:28 and their life was taken. 04:30 And priests--their brothers, their siblings were so scared 04:34 they stopped performing the service 04:36 and so Moses comes and he sees the goat 04:40 which was a sin offering it wasn't eaten. 04:45 That's what supposed to happen the priest 04:48 when a person sins he brings a goat or a ram 04:56 to sacrifice for his sin 04:59 and the priest makes Kippur 05:03 by eating the meat of that ram 05:07 and Moses sees it's not done 05:10 and he explains that this is the most holy. 05:14 By the way, the second time 05:15 the word most holy is used in scripture 05:18 besides the most holy compartment of the sanctuary. 05:21 The flesh of the sin offering is the most holy 05:26 and he says it is given to you 05:28 and now we have two phrases 05:32 that are basically explaining the same thing different words. 05:37 First they say to bear away the inequity of the people 05:42 or to carry the inequity of the people 05:44 and then the second one two in English 05:47 it says to make atonement. 05:49 I don't really know it's very hard 05:51 to find a proper English word. 05:53 I would just say to make Kippur. 05:55 So Kippur is the process of someone bearing away, 06:03 carrying the sins of the sinner. 06:06 So we are-- what we are trying to come 06:09 to an understanding here is that I know 06:12 there are so many different teachings 06:14 about the idea of atonement 06:16 and this carrying of sin and so on. 06:21 In Leviticus Chapter 23 there is quite a bit 06:25 that said about how God wanted the children of Israel 06:29 to actually effect this holiday 06:32 or what they were supposed to do. 06:33 And the scripture talks about that this is the time 06:35 one of a holy convocation right it's a holy gathering 06:39 but the Lord also says that this is a time 06:43 that you are to afflict yourselves. 06:45 And I had mentioned in the opening 06:47 that typically within the Jewish community 06:50 there is different things that happened. 06:51 You mentioned the idea of fasting 06:53 and I talked about how I remember 06:55 my grandfather wouldn't shave and didn't brush his teeth 06:57 and we were dressed all with no leather 07:01 and these were all interpretations 07:02 right of trying to fulfill that 07:06 but it's interesting that at the end of this passage 07:09 in Leviticus 23:28 it says, 07:12 "It is a day of atonement, 07:13 to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God." 07:18 So we started moving in the idea 07:21 you know I guess the central one of the central things 07:24 in Yom Kippur is--is this idea that so frequently talks Sasha, 07:30 and I know you and I had discussions about this. 07:33 And I know that you are not comfortable with it 07:37 and so I want to bring it up 07:38 because I want to talk about this 07:40 that this concept of Kippur of Yom Kippur 07:44 being called the day of covering, right. 07:46 I know, you know, you have heard it 07:48 and I am sure many of those watching have heard it. 07:51 But I think that there is a much better way to understand that. 07:56 Exactly, because to cover often they translate 08:01 you know to Kippur like to cover that's a wrong translation. 08:06 I'm not going to get into 08:08 all needy greedy things of Hebrew verbs 08:11 but this is absolute misunderstanding of the Hebrew. 08:16 Indeed the word in a different in a completely different form 08:20 is used in Genesis Chapter 6 08:24 when the God says to Noah to use tar to cover-- 08:30 to seal the ark, but this has nothing to do. 08:35 You know, many people take it into metaphor, 08:39 and this is not about metaphor. 08:41 You know, coming back to carrying away the sins. 08:44 What does it mean to carry away the sin? 08:47 To carry away the sins of somebody 08:49 meaning to take responsibility. 08:52 It's not a band-aid. It's not a-- 08:53 Well, and it's not only is it not a band-aid 08:55 which is a great idea because the band-aid 08:57 all it does is cover up the wound, 09:01 right, but the wound is still there. 09:03 And when we are talking the concept of Kippur 09:05 being a covering it's like just draping something over the sin 09:10 but the sin is still there. It's still covered. 09:12 Even when we talk about the blood of our Messiah 09:15 that's in the wrong context. 09:17 So I want to continue now, I'm not leaving this idea 09:20 because let's go to Leviticus Chapter 16 09:24 because I think we can really get an idea 09:27 of what exactly is happening 09:28 when we started talking about the two goats. Yeah, exactly. 09:31 Because you did mentioned one of them already. 09:33 Yeah, one of them that this is the heart of the Rachel 09:38 there are two goats that are taken. 09:42 One is called the goat for the Lord 09:45 and the blood of the goat for the Lord 09:48 is first of all the goat for the Lord is slain. 09:52 His blood or its blood is taken 09:57 into the most holy place 09:59 and sprinkled upon the top part of the Ark of the Covenant. 10:05 It's called the mercy seat. 10:06 In English, it's called the mercy seat. 10:09 I believe Luther was pretty good 10:11 by translating it the throne of grace. 10:14 Okay, now, that point 10:17 when the high priest enters in there by the way 10:20 that's the only time through the whole year 10:24 that the Kohen Gadol the high priest 10:26 was even allowed to enter into the most holy place. Right? 10:30 And by the way the place that mercy seat in Hebrew 10:34 there is a word Kippur which is used 10:36 you know for translators as atonement. 10:39 And then there is a word kapporet 10:41 it's the same it's the noun 10:43 from which is derived from Kippur the same root. 10:48 So it's like--it's the place of removal of sins 10:52 that's what the top part 10:54 of the Ark of the Covenant is all about. 10:56 So the first part of the ceremony 10:59 then with the first goat that's for the Lord 11:03 we have the sacrifice and the blood that's carried in 11:06 and is sprinkled upon the top. 11:09 Exactly. On the mercy seat. 11:11 And that symbolizes that God 11:14 is pulling this sin disease from us 11:19 taking it like a surgeon with a scalpel 11:24 that goes in and pulls away the tumor. 11:27 That's what through the sanctuary service 11:31 that's what is done. 11:33 How did the humans, 11:34 how did the people cooperate with God in this process? 11:36 What was their job? 11:38 Well, let's look at this way, 11:40 talk in medicine that's probably the best analogy. 11:43 If somebody has a pain and sin is painful. Right. 11:46 We suffer from our sin, we want to this to go away. 11:50 Well, if you have a pain you can take a pain killer. 11:53 But the problem is if we do not address the cause, 11:57 you know, if you have a headache you take Tylenol 12:00 but if you keeping Tylenols it stop helping you. 12:04 Then you take Vicodin and Codeine 12:06 who knows what you become addicted. 12:08 The problem is we people 12:11 and that's a big mistake in Christianity. 12:13 People care about forgiveness. 12:15 Well, God has forgiven but if you keep going 12:18 only for forgiveness, you become--you don't change. 12:22 You don't change from the inside in some aspects. 12:24 That's really what has to happen. 12:26 Right, and that's the point of that is-- Exactly. 12:28 If we don't get to the root of the problem 12:33 all we are doing is treating the symptoms. 12:34 So, let's-- let's move on 12:36 and we want to talk about the second goat now 12:39 because that becomes the heart 12:40 of how we are gonna get to 12:42 understanding what Kippur actually is. 12:44 Yeah, that's the second aspect. 12:46 First of all this pulling the sin away 12:48 but in the Old Testament in the Torah 12:53 if someone carries the sin, he carries responsibility. 12:57 So the priest when they ate the meat of the sin 13:02 offering every-- you know, from every sinner 13:05 they would carry the responsibility, 13:07 they would carry the burden of sins of these people. 13:11 You know, they couldn't bear it for so long. 13:13 I mean then you have a high priest. 13:15 High priest comes with a bullock 13:17 he takes the sins of all these priest upon himself. 13:20 Well, high priest if we are talking about this high priest 13:24 and according to Hebrews that's Yeshua, Jesus. 13:28 Well, if we live Yeshua carrying the sins of everybody, 13:34 is He the one responsible for the evil of the world? 13:37 No. So that's why you have a second goat. 13:41 This goat is specifically that the biggest mistake 13:46 which English Bibles have they translate it 13:50 as a based on a Greek translation a scapegoat. 13:55 And the term scape, you know, you look up scape 13:58 there is no such a word scape 13:59 unless it's together with the goat. Or e-scape. 14:02 Yeah, that is escape but there is no scape. 14:07 So the point is its very wake. 14:09 In Hebrew, its goat for Azazel. 14:12 Azazel or some people say Azazel its--in Hebrew it's clear 14:17 It's devil it's a demon of the desert. 14:21 So that's what the second goat represents. 14:24 The second goat does not die. 14:27 The second goat waits until the high priest 14:31 comes out of the most holy and what the high priest does 14:35 he comes he lays he lance his hands 14:39 up on the head of this goat for Azazel 14:43 and pours basically it says confesses 14:47 but he transfers all the sins of Israel upon this goat. 14:52 And it says, now this goat 14:54 carries the sins of Israel into the desert. 14:57 So that really becomes the-- 15:00 the important thing to catch the difference 15:03 when we talk about how many people 15:05 will use this idea of Yom Kippur being a covering 15:08 and the correct way to understand it then 15:11 it is a transfer exactly. 15:13 It's a removal. It's a time when the evil is removed. 15:15 But its true transfer, okay, it was important you know 15:18 that the high priest would lay his hands upon the goat 15:21 and God afforded this way that the burden 15:25 that had been placed on Him by the sin 15:27 had now been carried over to the goat. 15:29 And as Sasha said, the goat would be lead out 15:31 into the wilderness carrying the sin away from the camp. 15:34 Okay, so I have a question. 15:36 You know, as you guys are talking 15:37 I hear a lot of symbolism here. 15:40 I'm guessing nothing exactly 15:42 magical happens through all these symbolisms-- symbols 15:44 do you think that God is 15:46 purposely putting all these symbols 15:49 in process here to teach us something 15:51 or is it a supernatural thing that God commands 15:55 as those symbols are being carried for. 15:56 Oh, think about this way. 15:58 We are taught through some 16:01 like children are taught by using a felt. 16:05 So sanctuary is a type of giant felt 16:09 which of course is in the context of that culture 16:12 that's life is so difficult, goats, blood you know, 16:15 we are use to fluffy animals you know they are-- 16:19 So there is a way God is like kind of trying 16:21 to tell us a message here. Yeah, exactly. 16:23 But I think it's both because throughout the Bible 16:26 we have to remember that it's both 16:28 physical and spiritual. Right. 16:31 Because there is an image we paint it 16:33 but there is an actual physical transfer. 16:36 We can't just look at it and go 16:37 well, nothing really happened it was just a picture 16:40 what was gonna happen. 16:41 Yeah, exactly I mean nothing-- nothing magic has happened 16:45 but what's important spiritually is to understand 16:48 that sin is an issue that doesn't go away 16:52 unless somebody will take the burden of the sin away from you. 16:58 So you cannot deal with sin on your own. 17:02 You need that substitute, you need that Savior, 17:08 you need that high priest who will. 17:11 So that paints the picture really Rachel, 17:13 to the question that you are asking 17:14 if we are wanting to know, okay God, 17:16 what are trying to say to us. Right. 17:18 You know, in everything that we discuss 17:21 and in all of these things Messiah is revealed. 17:25 Jesus is there and just as the children in the Tabernacle 17:30 and the wilderness needed a way 17:32 for that sin to be carried away. 17:34 Well, we are no different. We need that. 17:37 And did it take belief, did it take faith in cooperation 17:40 with this because I'm sure may be 17:42 I mean didn't people have to track to get to this place 17:46 and in that process showing faith that 17:49 they are dedicated to this process of atonement 17:51 because I'm guessing like people can-- 17:52 Well, otherwise they wouldn't show up. Right, exactly so. 17:55 Well, it's interesting you mentioned Leviticus 23 17:58 and it says that this is the most holy day of the year 18:02 where you are actually becoming clean before the Lord. 18:07 You know, think it this way, 18:09 I'm always thinking of a people with addiction, 18:12 you know, and people are you know, hey, I'm clean. Right. 18:18 And sin is addiction. 18:20 Every sin every our bad trait of the character is addiction. 18:24 Well, and it all and all of those things 18:26 I think another good way to understand 18:28 is that the sin is everything that keeps us away from God 18:30 because we have a tendency to say sin is 18:33 oh, I'm lying, I'm cheating, I'm stealing 18:35 but anything that keeps you away from God is sin. 18:41 Because it can be as simplest things, 18:42 we need to move on because time is moving so we need to move. 18:47 I want to jump way ahead, Sasha, 18:50 because Yom Kippur is not only an Old Testament thing. 18:55 Yom Kippur and concepts of Yom Kippur 18:58 appear in the New Testament as well. 18:59 We are gonna jump all the way 19:01 to the end of the New Testament for a moment 19:03 and we want to talk about Kippur 19:05 briefly in the Book of Revelation. 19:07 Specifically chapter 11 and then chapter 15 19:11 and I know that this is we are talking about the physical 19:14 and the spiritual and this is John seeing a vision of-- 19:18 of Kippur in the heavenly sanctuary. 19:21 Exactly, exactly, this is interesting 19:23 how the Levitical, Rachel, sets up to us the stage 19:29 for a grand scheme fulfillment of the plan of salvation. 19:34 And in fact, we do have prophecy 19:37 in the Book of Daniel 8:14 says that, 19:41 there will be a 2,300 days and night 19:44 and a sanctuary shall be cleansed 19:46 the holy place shall be cleansed 19:48 and now in the Book of Revelation 19:51 John witnesses in heaven 19:55 how the process is actually going on. 19:58 Because in Rachel, Levitical calendar 20:02 this cleansing was going on-- on the yearly bases. 20:07 But it pointed out to the grand, grand heavenly Yom Kippur 20:14 where Jesus is actually gonna deal 20:18 with the problem of evil once and for all. 20:22 Right, right, you know its interesting too 20:27 we think so often that these Jewish holidays 20:31 don't really play a large part 20:33 when we get into the New Testament 20:35 and there is a lot of people that even teach 20:37 that they are just not there. Wow. 20:39 And Paul in the Book of 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4 20:44 makes a beautiful reference, that, you know, 20:48 many people are familiar with this passage. 20:51 It says, "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven 20:54 with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, 20:57 and with the sound of the trumpet of God. 20:59 And the dead in Messiah will rise first. 21:01 And we who are alive, who are left, 21:03 will be caught up together with them 21:05 in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, 21:07 and so shall we will always be with the Lord." 21:09 Beautiful passage but what so many people miss 21:12 is that right there in the middle of it 21:14 is a reference to Yom Kippur. Exactly. 21:16 And where was that, sorry? 21:17 This is 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4. 21:19 I mean which reference? 21:20 Well, it's when Paul was talking about 21:22 with the sound of the trumpet of God 21:25 because in Paul's time just as it is today. 21:29 You see the interesting thing that many people means 21:33 oh, trumpet, trumpet you know 21:35 but in reality Paul refers to actually rabbinic tradition. 21:40 Are you speaking of the shofar? 21:42 Yeah, the blowing of the ram's horn. 21:43 Yeah, blowing of the ram's horn shofar 21:45 at the end of Yom Kippur 21:48 with which they herald the coming of the Messiah. 21:52 And the closing of the book of life. 21:55 And what's interesting is that this was 21:58 this is a rabbinic tradition 22:00 there is nothing in the Book of Leviticus 22:03 that was supposed to happen 22:04 because this happens not at the temple 22:07 but at the synagogue. 22:08 But nevertheless this demonstrates 22:11 and we are gonna be talking in this show 22:14 about how much we need to go 22:16 into understand Jewish tradition. 22:19 That's the clear example of application of Jewish tradition 22:23 into a very eschatological-- serious eschatological issue 22:29 like resurrection of the dead in the last days. 22:32 Right and the interesting thing 22:35 the question I think that it brings up for us is then, 22:40 you know, we come to the ideas 22:43 do we have any concept of when Messiah is coming back 22:46 of any kind of timeline 22:50 and I think that Jesus in multiple places 22:53 makes references to seasons, knowing the seasons. 22:57 And I have always wondered whether those references 22:59 were really talking about the timeline 23:01 that runs concurrent with these holidays. 23:05 And you know by the way also this is one of 23:07 what's know as the pilgrimage feast. 23:10 One of those three that people were commanded 23:14 to comeback to be there drawing, 23:17 you know, the Jews from all over the world. 23:20 So like what Day of Atonement do you feel 23:23 is being spoken off right here? 23:24 Well, this is talking about the very end. 23:27 Very end. Yeah, the very end. 23:29 So--so we have to wrap this up 23:31 and I'm gonna take an opportunity 23:33 to bring us a song. 23:34 All right. Psalm 62, right? 23:36 Psalm 62, yeah, the song is called "Only in God." 23:39 Psalm 62 is such a beautiful song 23:41 just about how we can always depend on God 23:43 even when people fail us 23:45 God will never forsake us He is always there. 23:47 Yeah, only in God my soul rests, isn't it? 23:51 Amen. Let's listen to Alex. 24:10 Only in God be at rest my soul 24:17 From you comes my hope, 24:21 my eternal hope 24:25 Only in God be at rest my soul 24:32 From you comes my hope, my eternal hope. 24:39 Oh, my Lord and my salvation 24:47 You are my rock and my salvation 24:54 In you will I trust 25:04 Only in God be at rest my soul 25:11 In you I find strength 25:15 Unshakable strength 25:19 Only in God be at rest my soul 25:26 In you I find strength Unshakable strength 25:33 Oh, my rock and my salvation 25:41 [singing in foreign language] 25:48 In you will I trust 25:57 And only in God be at rest my soul 26:04 I had give you my heart 26:08 I pour out my heart 26:12 Only in God be at rest my soul 26:19 Well, I give you my heart 26:23 I pour out my heart 26:26 You are my rock 26:30 and my salvation 26:35 [singing in foreign language] 26:41 In you will I trust 26:49 In you will I trust 26:56 In you will I trust 27:04 In you will I trust 27:12 In you will I trust 27:19 Amen. Only in God, 27:23 you know that's such a beautiful thing 27:25 that the Psalm has brought out Rachel, 27:27 Sasha, that no matter where we are 27:31 that's really where we turn, we turn to Him. 27:34 And especially in the idea of atonement 27:38 there is only one way its through our Messiah, 27:41 our Savior Jesus. Amen. 27:43 And now may the Lord bless you and may He keep you, 27:47 and may the Lord make His face 27:48 to shine upon you be gracious to you 27:51 and may the Lord lift His countenance upon you 27:53 and bring you His peace. 27:56 God bless you please join us once again 27:59 on Back to Our Roots. Amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17