Yom Kippur: Atonement, Cleansing and Water

Mark, the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a sacred occasion for you: you shall practice self-denial, and you shall bring an offering by fire to the LORD; you shall do no work throughout that day. For it is a Day of Atonement, on which expiation is made on your behalf before the LORD your God. Indeed, any person who does not practice self-denial throughout that day shall be cut off from his kin; and whoever does any work throughout that day, I will cause that person to perish from among his people. Do no work whatever; it is a law for all time, throughout the ages in all your settlements. It shall be a sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall practice self-denial; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall observe this your sabbath.

And this shall be to you a law for all time: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall practice self-denial; and you shall do no manner of work, neither the citizen nor the alien who resides among you. For on this day atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you of all your sins; you shall be clean before the LORD. It shall be a sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall practice self-denial; it is a law for all time.

The sin-offering and the certain guilt-offering bring about atonement. Death and Yom HaKippurim effect atonement together with repentance. Repentance effects atonement for light transgressions: [the transgression of] positive commandments and negative commandments. And for severer transgressions [repentance] suspends [the divine punishment], until Yom HaKippurim arrives and effects atonement.

The sin-offering and the certain guilt-offering bring about atonement – they atone together with repentance. The Tanna did not bother mentioning it, for obviously when he brings his sin-offering and guilt-offering, he has already repented, for if he had not felt regret he would not have brought a sacrifice.

At this time, when the Temple is not established and, therefore, no altar to atone for us, there is nothing else left for us but repentance. Repentance atones for all sins. Even one who was an evildoer all his life but repented in the end, not a thing of the wickedness is held out against him, even as it is said: "As for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness" (Ez. 33.12). Even the Day of Atonement itself atones only for those who did repent, even as it is said: "For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you" (Lev. 16.30). Even on the presumption that repentance atones for all sins, and the Day of Atonement as such, too, atones, there are yet certain sins which are wiped off at the time, and certain other sins which are are not wiped off but after a lapse of time. For example? If a man violated a mandatory commandment which does not carry the guilt of excision and did repent, he moves not from the place of prayer before he is forgiven. Of such it is said: "Return, ye backsliding children and I will heal your back-slidings" (Jer. 3.22). If he violated a prohibitive commandment which carries neither excision nor death by a tribunal, and did repent, the repentance suspends punishment, whereafter the Day of Atonement wipes out the sin. Of such it is said: "For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you" (Lev. 16. 30). If he sinned in matters which carry excisions and deaths by a tribunal and did repent, repentance and the Day of Atonement suspend punishment, and the pain which he suffers thereafter complete the atonement for him. Forsooth, no complete atonement ever comes to the penitent before he has a visitation of suffering. Of such it is said: "Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with strokes'" (Ps. 89.32). That saying is concerning a sinner who did not blaspheme the Name in connnection with his transgression, but whosoever blasphemes the Name even he did repent, and the Day of Atonement did come and he still be a penitent, and sufferings did visit him, no complete atonement is granted to him till his death, for, repentance, the Day of Atonement and sufferings suspend punishment, and only death atones for him, even as it is said: "And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts. Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die" (Is. 22.14).

"One who says I shall sin and repent etc." One who says I will sent and Yom Kippur will atone for my sins, Yom Kippur will not atone for his sins. As they said: he is not afforded the opportunity to repent, and therefor God will not assist him to do on Yom Kippur what is needed for his sins to be atoned for on that day. And the scapegoat does not atone for sins between fellow people.

Neither repentance nor the Day of Atonement atone for any save for sins committed between man and God, for instance, one who ate forbidden food, or had forbidden coition and the like; but sins between man and man, for instance, one injures his neighbor, or curses his neighbor or plunders him, or offends him in like matters, is ever not absolved unless he makes restitution of what he owes and begs the forgiveness of his neighbor. And, although he make restitution of the monetory debt, he is obliged to pacify him and to beg his forgiveness. Even he offended not his neighbor in aught save in words, he is obliged to appease him and implore him till he be forgiven by him. If his neighbor refuses a committee of three friends to forgive him, he should bring to implore and beg of him; if he still refuses he should bring a second, even a third committee, and if he remains obstinate, he may leave him to himself and pass on, for the sin then rests upon him who refuses forgiveness. But if it happened to be his master, he should go and come to him for forgiveness even a thousand times until he does forgive him. It is forbidden for man to be ill-natured and unforgiving, for he must be easily appeased but unwidely to wrath; and when a sinner implores him for pardon, he should grant him pardon wholeheartedly and soulfully. Even if one persecuted him and sinned against him exceedingly he should not be vengeful and grudge-bearing, for such is the path of the seed of Israel and of their excellent heart. Only the idolaters are not so, they are of uncircumcised heart, and their wrath is ever-watchful; and, because the Gibonites were unforgiving and unappeasing, that of them it is said: "Now the Gibonites were not of the children of Israel" (II. Samuel, 21.2).

I will take you from among the nations and gather you from all the countries, and I will bring you back to your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean: I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your fetishes. And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit into you: I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh.

Some of the ashes from the fire of cleansing shall be taken for the unclean person, and fresh water shall be added to them in a vessel. A person who is clean shall take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle on the tent and on all the vessels and people who were there, or on him who touched the bones or the person who was killed or died naturally or the grave. The clean person shall sprinkle it upon the unclean person on the third day and on the seventh day, thus cleansing him by the seventh day. He shall then wash his clothes and bathe in water, and at nightfall he shall be clean. If anyone who has become unclean fails to cleanse himself, that person shall be cut off from the congregation, for he has defiled the LORD’s sanctuary. The water of lustration (מי נידה) was not dashed on him: he is unclean.

ואת חקתי תשמרו AND KEEP MINE ORDINANCES — matters which are decrees of the King (promulgated without any reason being stated) against which the evil inclination raises objections: "Why should we observe them? and against which also the nations of the world raise objections, as e. g., the prohibition of eating swine’s flesh, of wearing clothes of a mixture of wool and linen, the purgatory power of "water mingled with the ashes of the Red Heifer" (טהרת מי חטאת) — therefore it is stated: "I", the Lord, have enacted this for you — you are not at liberty to evade the obligation (Yoma 67b).

Rabbi Chaim Yossef David Azulai (Jerusalem, 1724-1806)

There may be an allusion here that although he is a jealous God (אל קנא) he purifies Israel, and instead of Kana he becomes a mikveh as the numeric value of the word קנא equals that of the word מקוה.

Who is a God like You, Forgiving iniquity And remitting transgression; Who has not maintained His wrath forever Against the remnant of His own people, Because He loves graciousness! He will take us back in love; He will cover up our iniquities, You will hurl all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Section one: Rabbi Shimon ben Gamaliel said: There were no days of joy in Israel greater than the fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur. Section two: On these days the daughters of Jerusalem would go out in borrowed white garments in order not to shame any one who had none. All these garments required immersion. The daughters of Jerusalem come out and dance in the vineyards.

Rabbi Ovadia Bartenura (Italy, 1445-1515)

"And Yom Kippur" since on this day the second tablets were given (to Moses), and it is a day of forgiveness and pardoning.

Purim is named after Yom Ha-Kippurim [which can be read as “the day that is like Purim”], for in the future people will rejoice on Yom Kippur and will transform its required afflictions to delight. Although the Divine Presence forbade the wearing of shoes on Yom Kippur, at that time the verse, “How beautiful are your footsteps in sandals, O prince’s daughter” (Song of Songs 7:2) will apply. Pleasure, joy, and much good will happen on that day – this will be the case in the time of the coming Redemption.