Chag sameach Yom haKippurim kol beit Yisra'el and Mishpachah and welcome to the divine moed or appointment which most celebrants stand in dread of or just shut down mentally over, preferring to look over and forward instead to the Sukkot (Tabernacles) festival that follows shortly afterwards.

This is a grave error. What is it we so dislike or are afraid of when it comes to Yom haKippurim, assuming we have even really understood it? I don't think that's a hard one to answer: accountability is rather something we would prefer to postpone if we could. Yom haKippurim is a day of reckoning.

This attitude is a fundamental mistake and misses the heart and purpose of Elohim (God). Under the Old Covenant there was rightly much fear attached to this moed (appointment), but also great tiqveh (hope) and release. And certainly it was a matter of life and death. It was never - and still isn't - a moed (appointment) to trifle with.

So I think we should try to get a better understanding of what the annual Israelite assembly at Yom haKippurim was for anciently so that we can better understand what it means for us today. Leviticus 16 is the key scriptural text here (it's the only one that goes into detail about the moed) along with its explanation in the Epistle to the Hebrews.

Yom haKippurim - better known by its shortened though inaccurate version 'Yom Kippur' - is rightly regarded my many as the most qadosh or holy (set-apart) of the annual festivals of Yahweh, and yet we either fear it, dislike it, or are indifferent to it for the most part. Of course, the enemy does not want us to understand it because all emet (truth) is a threat to him. He wishes us to remain in ignorance and to create false images and impressions about all that is sacred from the Creator. A rule of thumb that I follow is this: if something about a scriptural requirement disturbs or agitates me, I want to know why. The reason is invariably the same - the requirement is vitally important for my well-being and shalom (peace), therefore I shall search it out with all diligence.

The 16th chapter of Leviticus starts with a very sobering reminder of what happens when you don't follow explicit divine tavnith or pattern:

"Yahweh spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached Yahweh. Yahweh said to Moses: 'Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Qodesh Qodashim (Most Holy) Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover" (Lev.16:1-2, NIV).

We read about the disasterous activity of Abihu and Nadab several chapters earlier in Leviticus 10. They simply took it on their own initiative to approach Yahweh any time and anyhow they wanted. They paid with their lives when fire from heaven consumed them. There is a reason why obedience to mitzvot (commandments) is important and it's for our own safety and blessing. And a reason Abihu and Nadab were only permitted to approach Yahweh in a particular way and at a particular time is because Yahweh is Qadosh (Holy, Set-Apart) and man is not naturally so. And that is why now it is impossible to approach the Father except through the Son (Jn.14:6). He alone is the bridge and that is why if we try to come to Elohim (God) by any other route we will not only fail in this life but be forced to enter fire in the next.

Let's rewind 2,000 years and before. We are, as it were, back in the days of the Old Covenant in our imaginary journey. It's the tenth day of the seventh month and Israel has assembled for it's most solemn day of the year. There is tension and expectation in the air. This is not a celebration. It is not a time of simcha (joy), at least not at the beginning. It's a sabbath day, no one is allowed to work at pain of death and every one had to 'afflict' themselves, meaning they were not there for their pleasure or enjoyment. 'Affliction' has always been understood to mean fasting since we'd all rather eat but in the wider sense it means being in a repentant, receptive attitude by putting personal will aside.

That great throng was gathered as a reminder that the daily, weekly, and monthly sacrifices made at the altar of burnt offering were not sufficient to atone for sin. Even at the altar of burn offering the worshipper is required to stand 'afar off', unable to approach the Presence of Elohim (God), who was manifest between the golden cherubim in the Qodesh Qodashim - the 'Holy of Holies', the most sacred compartment of the Sanctuary of the Mishkan or Tabernacle. On this day, atoning blood is brought into the Qodesh Qodashim, the Holy of Holies or Divine Throne Room (where Yahweh's Name dwels on earth) by the Cohen Gadol or High Priest who represents the whole Nation of Israel. He is there in a corporate capacity. He stands in for all the covenant people, the entire national congregation.

On this day the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) is required to make atonement for "all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins" (Lev.16:21, NKJV). First he makes atonement for the cohenim (priests) because the Mediator between Elohim (God) and His people has to be ceremonially clean. He cleanses the Sanctuary, for it, too, is ceremonially defiled by the presence and ministration of sinful men.

In order to prepare for the sacrifices of the day, the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) puts aside his official robes and dresses in a simple white garment. He then offers a bullock as a sin offering for himself and for the Aaronic (Levitical) priesthood. After he has filled his censer with live coals from the altar, the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) enters the Qodesh Qodashim (Holy of Holies), where he places incense on the coals. The incense sends forth a cloud of smoke over the mercy seat, which serves as a covering for the Ark of the Covenant hidden within. The Cohen Gadol (High Priest) then takes some of the blood of the bullock and sprinkles it on the mercy seat and on the ground in front of the ark. In this way atonement is made for the ministers - the priesthood.

Next he sacrifices a he-goat as a sin offering for the people. Some of the blood is taken into the Qodesh Qodashim (Holy of Holies), and there it is sprinkled in exactly the same way as the sin offering was earlier made on behalf of the cohenim (priests) (Lev.16:11-15).

Having purified the Holy Place and the altar of burnt offering with the mingled blood of the bullock and goat (Lev.16:18-19) the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) takes a second goat, lays his hands on its head, and confesses over it all the sins of Israel. This goat is commonly known as the Azazel or 'scape goat', literally, the 'escape goat', and is then driven into the desert to 'escape', where it symbolically carries away the sins of the people. The expression has come to generally mean to blame someone else for something you have done wrong!

The carcasses of the two burnt offerings - the bullock and the he-goat - are then taken outside the camp or city and burned. The day concludes with additional sacrifices.

Now this is the most important fact - at the very least from the point-of-view of the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) - he emerges alive from the Tabernacle or Temple and this is the signal that the sins of the nation have been cleansed! It is at this point that the assembly heaves a sigh of relief. Had the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) been struck down, it would have meant that the sacrifices had not been accepted and that Israel remained in her sins, effectively rejected.

Now I know that all of this seems very strange to our modern sensibilities so let me explain it carefully to you, for nothing Yahweh commands is purposeless. To understand what this ritual meant, and means for us today in the B'rit Chadashah or New Covenant, we need to turn to the Epistle to the Hebrews.

This important Scripture explains what the ritual of Yom haKippurim or 'Day of Atonements' means. It is a type or representation of the atoning work of Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) (Heb.9:10) who is called our "great Cohen Gadol (High Priest)", the the blood shed on the cross at Calvary is seen to typify the blood of bulls and goats. But unlike the Tanakh (Old Testament), the sinless Messiah did not have to make sacrifice for any sins of His own, because He was Himself sinless.

In the same way as the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) of the Old Covenant entered the Qodesh Qodashim (Holy of Holies) with the blood of the sacrificial victim, so Yah'shua (Jesus) entered Heaven itself to appear before the Father on behalf of His talmidim (disciples) (Heb.9:11-12).

Moreover, the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) had to offer sin offering each year for his own sins and the sins of the people. This annual repetition of the sacrifices served as a reminder that perfect atonement had not yet been provided. Yah'shua (Jesus), however, through His own blood, effected eternal redemption for His people (Heb.9:12).

The Epistle to the Hebrews makes this important distinction between the levitical offerings and the Offering of the Son of Elohim (God), though: the levitical offerings could only effect "purifying of the flesh" (Heb.9:13, NKJV). They ceremonially cleansed the sinner but they could not bring about literal, inner cleansing, which is of course the prerequisite for fellowship with Yahweh. As it is written:

"For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Ruach (Spirit) offered Himself without spot to Elohim (God), cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living Elohim (God)?" (Heb.9:13-14, NKJV).

"According to the Law of Moses, those people who become unclean are not fit to worship Elohim (God). Yet they will be considered clean, if they are sprinkled with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. But Messiah was sinless, and He offered Himself as an eternal and spiritual sacrifice to Elohim (God). That's why His blood is much more powerful and makes our consciences clear. Now we can serve the living Elohim (God) and no longer do things that lead to death" (Heb.9:13-14, CEV).

So the levitical offerings served as a type or shadow and as a prophecy of Yah'shua (Jesus) to come, who, through His better sacrifice, cleanses the conscience from dead works. It makes our hearts pure - our thoughts, emotions, and general disposition. His blood is what transforms us from within which was impossible under the preparatory Old Covenant.

The Old Covenant Tabernacle was designed by Yahweh, in part, to teach Israel that sin hinders access to the Presence of Elohim (God). Only the Cohen Gadol (High Priest), and then only once a year, could enter the Qodesh Qodashim (Holy of Holies), and even then "not without blood" (Heb.9:7, NKJV) offered to atone for sins. Yah'shua (Jesus), however, through a 'New and Living Way' has entered heaven itself, the true Qodesh Qodashim (Holy of Holies), where He lives to make intercession for His people. Today the believer is not required to stand at a distance, as the Israelies of old had to, but may now, through Messiah, approach the very Throne of grace.

Finally, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, we are reminded that the flesh of the sin offering of Yom haKippurim - the Day of Atonements - was buried outside the camp of Israel:

"The Cohen Gadol (High Priest) carries the blood of animals into the Qodesh Qodashim (Most Holy Place, Holy of Holies) as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Yah'shua (Jesus) also suffered outside the city gate to make the people qodesh (holy, set-apart) through His own blood. Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Through Yah'shua (Jesus), therefore, let us continually offer to Elohim (God) a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess His Name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices Elohim (God) is pleased" (Heb 13:11-16, NIV).

What are the two 'cities' that are being spoken of here? Well, Yah'shua (Jesus) suffered outside the gate of Jersusalem that He might redeem His people from sin. Here, on earth, we do not have an "enduring city" but rather we are to look for "the city that is to come" (Heb.13:14), the "New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from ... Elohim (God)" (Rev.3:12, NIV). We are not to be concerned about the old Jersusalem, which has been conquered by many nations since the Messiah and the apostles, for that is described as the fallen 'City of Hagar' belonging to the Old Covenant (Gal.4:25), but we are to occupy our minds with the heavenly one of which it is further written by John:

"I saw the Qadosh (Holy) City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from Elohim (God), prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband" (Rev.21:2, NIV).

I began this by talking of the fear many have of this moed (appointment) and it would not be wrong were fear be provoked by the Ruach (Spirit) today. We saw how Aaron's sons were cut off for their lack of reverence for Yahweh when they sought to draw close to Him in disobedience by presenting false fire.

We can all of us picture Yah'shua (Jesus), Elohim (God) Incarnate, because Elohim (God) took on a human form like our own. But who can imagine what the pre-incarnate Elohim (God) looked like? As we saw, He appeared in the Tabernacle in a rather special way. In the second verse of Leviticus 16 we read:

"Yahweh said to Moses: Tell your brother Aaron not to come just at any time into the sanctuary inside the curtain before the mercy-seat (cover) that is upon the ark, or he will die; for I appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat (cover)" (Lev.16:2, NRSV).

"For in a cloud, I make Myself seen, over the Purgation-Cover" (Lev.16:2, Fox).

Yahweh restricts access to Himself lest the unholy - the unprepared - perish in flames. Only the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) may approach the mercy seet, and then only once a year, at Yom haKippurim, though Moses was able to approach Yahweh often and speak to Him face-to-face by virtue of his anointing.

How, then, can we know what is qadosh (holy, set-apart) and what is not? By means of the Torah. There has only ever been one way. Without reference to the Torah, all our concepts about holiness are merely subjective. And Leviticus is the Bible book about holiness. So if you are interested in that subject, as we all should be, that is where we must start.

But before you start making an in-depth study of the Tanakh, as again we all should, it is helpful - as we did earlier - to put ourselves back in time and try to picture ourselves as an Israelite under the former covenant. For an Israelite, the reason for reading Leviticus is clear: it is quite literally a matter of life and death. To the Israelites anciently, as now, there was but one Elohim (God) and that is exclusively Yahweh, the Elohim (God) of Israel. All other so-called 'gods' are figments of human imagination, even if fallen malakim (angels) frequently posed as them.

It was exactly the same for the Israelites in Exodus and Leviticus. And since there was only one Elohim (God) and they were His only people on earth, there was a special relationship between them. On Yahweh's side He promised to do many things for them:

• 1. To be their government;
• 2. To be their minister of defence and protect them;
• 3. To be their minister of finance so there would be no poor among them; and
• 4. To be their minister of health so that none of the diseases of Egypt would touch them.

Yahweh was everything they needed. He was their absolute King. In return, He expected them to live right and do things right - in a four words, live the Torah lifestyle.

If there is one key text in this book it is this:

"I am Yahweh your Elohim (God); consecrate yourselves and be qadosh (holy, set-apart), because I am qadosh (holy, set-apart) ... I am Yahweh who brought you up out of Egypt to be your Elohim (God); therefore be qadosh (holy, set-apart), because I am qadosh (holy, set-apart)" (Lev.11:44-45, NIV).

Indeed the apostle Peter quotes this passage, reminding believers in the New Covenant that nothing has changed in regard to holiness, being set-apart, or being consecrated to Yahweh:

"But just as He who called you is qadosh (holy, set-apart), so be qadosh (holy, set-apart) in all you do; for it is written: 'Be qadosh (holy, set-apart), because I am qadosh (holy, set-apart)'" (1 Peter 1:15-16, NIV).

"As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance" (1 Peter 1:14, NIV).

You see - and I hope everyone understands this well enough by now - Yahweh expects the people He liberates to be like Him and not like those around them. We are no more expected to be like those around us in the world than Israel was anciently. The same separation or set-apartness is required lest we become like them and perish.

Many of the things that may at first puzzle to us in Leviticus are explained by this fact and it is verily the key that unlocks the whole book, of which Chapter 16 on Yom haKippurim is such an important part. And what is that key? Simply, when Yahweh tells the people not to do something, it is because the people around them are doing it but they are to be different, to be qadosh (holy, set-apart) because He is qadosh (holy, set-apart) - He is different.

If Elohim (God) saves you He expects you to look like someone who has been saved by actually being like Him - He expects you to live His way and to be qadosh (holy, set-apart) as He is qadosh (holy, set-apart). He expects you to live the Torah-lifestyle no matter how different we may become to those around us in doing so.

If you examine the whole Book of Leviticus you will discover that Yom haKippurim is the the 'hinge' of that book, just as the summer festival of Shavu'ot (Weeks, 'Penrecost') is the hinge between the spring festivals and the autumnal (fall) ones. (See this diagram). Please note this tavnith (pattern) well! What, then, lay on either side of Chapter 16 on Yom haKippurim? They are Justification (the Way to Elohim) and Sanctification (our walk with Elohim):

1. Justification (Way to Yahweh) (ch.1-15)

• a. Offerings and sacrifices (ch.1-7)
  • b. Priesthood (ch.8-10)
    • c. Unclean -> Clean (ch.11-15)
      • d. Yom haKippurim (ch.16)
    • e. Common -> Qadosh (Holy, Set-Apart) (ch.17-21)
  • f. Worship (ch.23-25)
• g. Sanctions and Vows (ch.26-27)
2. Sanctification (Walk with Yahweh) (ch.17-27)

This tavnith or pattern is exactly the same in the New Covenant though now our offerings and sacrfices are of a different kind: we're under a new (Melchizedek) Priesthood, and a number of other changes have been made. Yom haKippurim still lies in the centre - it's still the hinge joint between Justification and Sanctification, something we don't have time to get into today but let me give you one quotation from the apostle Paul so you get the general drift:

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of Elohim (God)? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of Elohim (God). And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Master Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) and by the Ruach Elohim (Spirit of our God)" (1 Cor.6:9-11, NIV)

What the ancient Israelites attempted to achieve through animal sacrifice year in and year out, Messiah acheived for us on the cross with His atoning sacrifice on one day - at the first Messianic Pesach (Passover) - accomplished by the spilling of His blood, the blood of the Son of Elohim (God). What, then, was the atoning work of Yom haKippurim for? And why is it plural, 'Day of Atonements'? There are five atonements [2] connected with this festival which are for the:

• 1. Cohen Gadol (High Priest) and the Cohenim (Priests);
• 2. Qodesh (Holy, Set-apart) Sanctuary;
• 3. Tabernacle;
• 4. Altar; and
• 5. Assembly of people or House of Israel.

We discussed these at length in 2013 so if you're interested in following that study up, please check it up on our website. But in a nutshell, Pesach (Passover) is about personal atonement and salvation whereas Yom haKippurim (Day of Atonements) is about corporate or collective atonement and salvation, specifically, the atonement and salvation of Israel (under the Old Covenant) and today Messianic Israel (New Covenant).

So we are really here gathered as part of the Remnant. This is the Remnant Festival par excellence - as families, as congregations and as the whole of Messianic Israel - the Bride of Messiah. And as should now, I hope, be very obvious, the Remnant must be qodesh (holy, set-apart) and pure. The passion for holiness must be our driving force.

Some final thoughts, if I may. I have been doing a lot of thinking about Yom haKippurim this year because every Yom haKippurim is an important crossroads, as I mentioned last sabbath. Some of the roads that we travel in life are dead-ends but we often don't know they are until we reach the end of them and are forced, by raw reality, to turn back. Life is full of such cul-de-sac's, destinations we were never intended for, roads we were never supposed to have got on in the first place.

Equally, though, there are roads which seem to lead to dead-ends but aren't - they are actually the intended destinations. But often, because the journey is long and hard, we mistakenly assume we have taken a wrong turning, turn back, and throw away golden opportunities and tragically end up rejecting Yahweh's plan for us in the process.

Enduring is part of our discipleship and the 'end' of our road is not met until the end of mortal life itself. It's easy to forget that salvatiion isn't just a single event - the day we accept Yah'shua (Jesus) as our Master (Lord) and Deliverer (Saviour). Yah'shua (Jesus) said:

"...he who endures to the end will be saved" (Matt.10:22, NKJV; also Mt.24:13; Mk.13:13).

This we call 'Salvation-Future' even as the saved today day may be said to be abiding in 'Salvation-Present'. If we must endure to the end, then salvation may indeed be lost if we fail to endure, but for whatever reason, abandon the Way. Yom haKippurim represents 'Salvation-Future', and specifically, 'Salvation's End or 'Consummation'. Yom haKippurim reminds us that we cannot take our salvation for granted, that the 'Once Saved, Always Saved' doctrine of the Calvinists and others is a lie. We are free to choose whether we accept Yah'shua (Jesus) as Master (Lord), we are free to choose whether we continue trusting Him, and we are free to choose whether we abandon Him and fail to endure to the end.

That's the personal salvation we can gamble away if we choose. But that's not the only salvation we need - we also need the communal or corporate salvation which is being an active, contributing member of the Body. That starts with our marriages, our faithfulness to our children and parents, our faithfulness to our congregations and our faithfulness to the Remnant as a whole. The larger concept is admittedly harder to grasp but we all understand what it means to be faithful to a spouse, to take care of our children, to honour our parents, and to be kingdom-builders evangelising unbelievers and discipling converts. Four-sevenths of the Besorah (Gospel), represented by Shavu'ot (Weeks) and the Autumnal Festivals of Yom Teruah, Yom haKippurim, and Sukkot, is all about the community of Messianic Israel so if we hide away and become solo-Christians we are not only missing four-sevenths of the point but we may well find ourselves signed up to only the second resurrection and not the first. Yom haKippurim reminds us that we must move from milk to meat and from immaturity to maturity - from going solo to becoming part of the living Body. The Marriage Feast of the Lamb at the final Messianic Sukkot (Tabernacles) is a big family event!

Like I've said more than once already today, I think we all too often regard Yom haKippurim as the day when Yahweh slaps us around and beats us up for having sinned, meaning, He brings us to judgment. I won't deny it can seem that way to us, especially if we have been holding out on making teshuvah (repenting) but that can't be avoided.

There are consequences for sin which cannot be avoided. The stubbornly rebellious do not get away with their behaviour but they must understand that overarching everything is the emet (truth) that Yahweh's Derech (Way) is always remedial and redemptive. He's not here to punish us for punishment's sake. Our own stubbornness and rebellion is in reality self-inflicted punishment.

He's here to correct us so that we can choose, of our own free will, to get back on course where His bounteous blessings await us. And as I mentioned last sabbath, what we fail to deal with in repentance gets incubated during the long winter between the annual festival cycles and we then give birth to an uglier sin-creature than we had before. This need not be so. Instead, if we repent, we can look forward to a wonderful new rebirthing in the spring!

It is time for us to present ourselves as individuals, families and congregations before Yahweh. We will return at sunset for the concluding prayers. Please use the hours ahead soberly, prayerfully and conscientiously with Yahweh because He wants us to close doors on some of the old things and open doors to new possibilities. We have got to repair all the breaches with all who are willing. I don't want any rot hanging on and carryong over into the New Year next Aviv.

My great desire now is for reconciliation and harmony in my own own wider family and the Mishpachah which is this fellowship. We've got to get things right together. If we're in our own little private bubbles then we haven't even entered the spirit of the autumn (fall) festivals - we haven't really taken our Shavu'ot (Weeks) covenant seriously to be a community under accountability. We can, if we want to, go and do our own thing but then we must eventually part company from what we vowed to be last summer at Shavu'ot.

We will assemble here again towards evening. I look forward to seeing you then. Yahweh bless and may His Ruach (Spirit) work deep in us. Amen.

Endnotes

[1] Professor Everett Fox is best known for his translation of the Torah into English (1995). His main guiding principle, influenced by the the principles of Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig, was that the aural aspects of the Hebrew text should be translated as closely as possible. The chief advantage of this method is that Hebrew word plays, puns, word repetition, and other literary devices are echoed in the English.
[2] See Yom haKippurim 2013: Applying the Five Atonements in Earnest

O Yahweh, Elohim of our fathers! Let our prayers come before You, through Yah'shua our Deliverer, and do not hide Yourself from our supplication. What shall we say to You who dwell on High? You know all things, both hidden and revealed. You search our hearts and thoughts. Nothing is hidden from Your sight. We are not so arrogant nor hardened to say, 'We are righteous and have not sinned.' For truly we have sinned. We have turned away from the good mitzvot (commandments) You have given us. You are righteous and true in all Your ways, but we have done evil in Your sight. Thank You, our Heavenly Father, and Elohim of our fathers, that You forgive all our sins, pardon all our iniquities, sanctify the altar of our heart, bless and sanctify the qodesh (holy, set-apart) places in our homes and assemblies, sanctify your leaders in Messianic Israel, both the husband-fathers and the cohenim (priests), and grant atonement for all our transgressions through the blood of Yah'shua the Messiah.

For it is written: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". 'Return O Israel to Yahweh-Elohim, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take words with you and return to Yahweh. Say to Him, "Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips."'

We repent for the sin we committed in Your sight by:

• sinning wilfully, and for the sin we committed in ignorance.
• slander, and for the sin of lashon hara or gossip.
• neglecting our responsibilities, and for the sin of selfishness.
• indulging evil thoughts, and for the sin of lust.
• being lukewarm, and for the sin of not loving You with all our hearts and souls.
• not hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and for the sin of not being poor in spirit.
• not being merciful, and for the sin of withholding when we could have given.
• speaking foolish words, and for the sin of not controlling our tongues.
• not loving our neighbours, and for the sin of not blessing our enemies.
• not turning the other cheek, and for the sin of practising our righteousness before men.
• being proud, and for the sin of lack of zeal.

For the sin we committed in Your sight by:

• not walking as Yah'shua walked, and for the sin of not being filled with Your Ruach.
• loving the world, and for the sin of loving the things in the world.
• putting other things before You, and for the sin of idolatry.
• not praying at all times, and for the sin of not being thankful.
• not being quick to forgive, and for the sin of holding resentments.
• not going the second mile, and for the sin of impatience.
• not doing unto others as we would have them do unto us, and for the sin of greed.
• being anxious about the things of this life, and for the sin of not trusting You to provide for all of our needs.
• setting our minds on the things below, and for the sin of not setting our minds on things above.

(Final blowing of the ram's horn)

I hereby declare Yom haKippurim at an end, in Yah'shua's Name. Amen!

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