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The True Meaning of Yom Kippur

*Amir’s commentary on Yom Kippur*

As we approach Yom Kippur, the most solemn day on the Jewish calendar, I want to take a moment to reflect on its true meaning and significance. Let us look closely at what the Scriptures say, particularly in Leviticus 23:27:

“…it shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord…”

One of the most common questions Jews will ask each other over the next few days is: “Did you fast on Yom Kippur?” This question points to a tradition that is deeply ingrained in Jewish practice. However, it might surprise you to learn that fasting on Yom Kippur is not a biblical command. The Bible speaks of something different, which the rabbis, over the centuries, interpreted as refraining from eating and drinking, focusing instead on prayer and petitions for forgiveness from God.

This brings us to an interesting paradox: while fasting is seen as a way to “afflict our souls,” the most common blessing during this season is, “Have an easy fast.” This greeting itself raises questions. Should we fast? Should it be easy? What are we doing this for? Is it for ourselves? Is it for God? Or is it merely to ease our conscience and feel better about our spiritual condition?

Consider this: what is it about our conduct throughout the year that makes us feel so bad, only to feel cleansed after 25 hours without food? Are we truly afflicting our souls, or merely our empty stomachs?

When God commanded Israel to “afflict your souls,” He was pointing to something deeper. The instruction was not about physical discomfort or hunger. Rather, it was about a profound spiritual and internal reflection and humility before God. Notice that God required two things from Israel on Yom Kippur: to afflict their souls and to offer an offering made by fire.

Here, we see that affliction of the soul and an offering were intended to occur together. Tradition is meaningful when it aligns with the Word of God, leading to true worship and humility. But when tradition elevates “me” – my suffering, my righteousness – it becomes no different than any other false teaching or practice that puts human effort at the center.

When God says, “Afflict your souls,” He is speaking of the spirit, not just the body. Today, we live in a world that often glorifies physical discipline, whether through fasting, dieting, or weight loss programs. These may have their place, but they are not the path to true spiritual humility. Only God’s Word – both in the Scriptures and in the flesh through Jesus – can show us how to humble ourselves before Him.

So, what does it mean to truly “afflict the soul”? It starts with recognizing that we have no chance of becoming holy by our own strength or deeds. This realization of our helplessness is the deepest form of affliction a soul can experience. And if we cannot do it ourselves, what is the alternative? This brings us to the second requirement of God: the offering.

God required an offering made by fire. But who could offer something worthy enough to atone for our sins? Jesus’ disciples came to understand that the answer to this question was revealed in the Messiah’s life, death, and resurrection. Jesus, Yeshua, in His life, was purer than anyone, fulfilling the Law and making Himself the perfect “Passover Lamb.” His sinless life and sacrificial death showed the insufficiency of animal sacrifices compared to His perfect offering.

The Book of Hebrews explains in chapter 10:1-4:

“For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.”

This passage highlights that the sacrifices prescribed by the Law were never sufficient to remove sins. They were merely a shadow of the good things to come. When Jesus – the substance – came into the world, He said:

“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin, You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.’”

God had no pleasure in the sacrifices under the Law because they were unable to cleanse the conscience. But Jesus came to fulfill God’s will, perfecting what those sacrifices could not. They were the shadow. He is the substance.

Jeremiah even speaks of a new covenant in chapter 31:31-34:

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

The old sacrifices reminded people of their sins, but this new covenant offers true forgiveness and transformation. God was preparing something greater than the blood of animals; He was preparing the ultimate sacrifice: His own Son, Jesus. By His death and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law and established a new covenant, sanctifying us through His offering once for all. As the author of Hebrews recorded further in chapter 10:

“Every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God… For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”

God’s ultimate plan for redemption does not revolve around our ability to fast or perform any ritual. Instead, it centers on the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, who alone can take away sins and reconcile us to God. As it is written:

“For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

And again, it is written:

“You shall call His name Yeshua (Jesus), for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

Yom Kippur – The Day of Atonement – will ultimately find its fulfillment when the nation of Israel – during its greatest time of affliction – accepts their Messiah for who He is upon His return to Israel and for Israel:

Hosea 5:15
“I will return again to My place
Till they acknowledge their offense.
Then they will seek My face;
In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”

And then, as Paul tells us:

“All Israel will be saved.” (Romans 11:26)

So, to the Jewish people all over the world, afflict your soles by understanding that by your own strength and deeds, you will not be saved. Bring forth the perfect sacrifice – Yeshua, who is the way, the truth, and the life. Let us turn our hearts toward Him, recognizing that salvation is not in what we can do, but in what He has already done. Let us understand the true meaning of this sacred day, not as a time to focus on ourselves, but as a time to focus on the One who gave everything for us.