Today is Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, remains one of the most holy religious holidays in the Jewish faith. Since Old Testament days, the Day of Atonement is the day to ask God’s forgiveness for the peoples’ sins as a nation. The Hebrew word for atone means “to cover.” Since Old Testament sacrifices could not actually remove sins, the sacrifices made could only cover the sins.

Today, people of the Jewish faith observe Yom Kippur through confessing their sins together at the synagogue. Yom Kippur is also a day of “not” doing. The people may not eat, drink, wash, or wear leather shoes.

In Bible times on this day, the people would confess their sins as a nation and the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place to make atonement for those sins. One of the events connected with the Day of Atonement was the presentation of two goats before God. One goat was chosen to be sacrificed as a sin offering; the other goat was chosen to be the scapegoat. In essence, all the people’s sins were placed on the scapegoat and then the goat was sent away into the wilderness.

The two goats represented how God was dealing with the people’s sins. God forgave the people’s sins through the sacrifice of the first goat. Through the second goat, God was removing their sins. This ritual had to be repeated every year. But for those who believe and follow Jesus Christ, his death on the cross replaced this system once and for all.

The moment we turn to Jesus, confess our sins, and ask for forgiveness, we are forgiven. Because of Jesus’ blood shed on the cross, our sins not only are covered, but are removed forever.

On this day, atonement will be made for you, and you will be cleansed from all your sins in the Lord’s presence (Leviticus 16:30).

To Do

Do some research and find out more about how Jewish people celebrate Yom Kippur today.

Also on this day

1690—The first newspaper was published in America.

1981—Sandra Day O’Conner became the first female Supreme Court Justice.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.