The Day of Atonement

The first five books of the Christian Bible are also the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, in combination, are known in Hebrew as the Torah, and in Greek as the Pentateuch, and sometimes referred to as the “Five Books of Moses”. I lack the patience to study these books in detail, and find myself relying on Jesus, in the New Testament, to tell me what’s important – but then there are times of clarity when I see what scholars over the years have seen.

October 7th is also known as Simchat Torah, when the Torah reading cycle restarts again. Jewish people all over the world read a portion of the Torah together each week, starting in Genesis and slowly working through all five books to end with Deuteronomy next September.

In Israel everything stops for the Fall Feasts, and people postpone all business until “after the holidays”, so after the end of “Sukkot” (a weeklong feast that started on October 6^th), life starts again in earnest.

I remember as a child, celebrating the Harvest Festival – the Sunday that closest aligns with the “Offering of Firstfruits” (Leviticus 23:9-14), offering the first crops of the harvest as a sign of thanksgiving and acknowledgment of God’s provision.

There are seven offerings enumerated in the book of Leviticus: Christians consider the first five to speak of the purpose of Jesus Christ. They are:

1. Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1): This offering involved the complete burning of an animal and symbolized atonement and dedication.
2. Grain Offering (Leviticus 2): A non-blood offering made from grains, oil, and frankincense, expressing thanksgiving and devotion.
3. Peace Offering (Leviticus 3): An offering of gratitude and fellowship, often given voluntarily.
4. Sin Offering (Leviticus 4): Offered to atone for unintentional sins and cleanse the offeror from guilt.
5. Guilt Offering (Leviticus 5): Made to atone for specific sins, accompanied by restitution for wrongdoing.

The sixth, Offering of Firstfruits, I’ve already mentioned, but the seventh is The Offering of Atonement on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). It is an annual offering to cleanse the sanctuary and the people from their sins. We most commonly know this as Yom Kippur, which occurred on September 24^th, 2023, before Hamas attacked Israel. The upcoming Day of Atonement starts at nightfall, October 11^th, 2024, when Israel will make an offering to The Lord in atonement for the cleansing of The Sanctuary.