To all my Christian friends

Today is the eve of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. A day when the people of Israel give thanks to Adonai and ask for forgiveness for their sins committed the year before. A day directed in Torah that the High Priest may enter the inner chamber of the Tabernacle to perform the offering before Adonai. The day that we ask Adonai to write us in the lamb’s book of life for one more year. It is expressed that this is the day Moses returned to the people of Israel with the second set of Tablets.

For those who accept Jesus as the Messiah it is important to understand the concept that he has take the place of the High Priest as the intercessor on our behalf. He is the one who is allowed to stand in the inner chamber of the tabernacle to seek forgiveness for our sins. It is a day when we are to rest and be in prayer to Adonai the Father Almighty. This is a day Jesus would have held in strict observance.


When I saw this today I felt the desire to share this custom and see if you can fit this into your life in Christ. There is a ceremony called Kaparot performed by some sects of Jewish believers.

In the early morning hours of the day preceding Yom Kippur, the Kaparot ("Atonement") ceremony is performed. We take a live chicken (a rooster for a male and a hen for a female) and, circling it three times above our heads, we declare: "This is my replacement, this is my exchange, this is my atonement; this fowl shall go to its death, and I shall go to a long, good and peaceful life." The fowl is then slaughtered in accordance with Kosher Law, at which time we contemplate that this is a fate we ourselves would deserve, God forbid, for our failings and iniquities. The value of the fowl is given to the poor, and its meat eaten in the Yom Kippur meal; some give the fowl itself to the poor. (A alternate custom is to perform the rite only with money, reciting the prescribed verses and giving the money to charity. Kaparot can also be preformed in the preceding days, during the "Ten Days of Repentance" the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur).

What I find interesting about this is not only due they use this as a way to repent or offer this up to Adonai for their sins, but they eat the Chicken and give the value of it to the poor.
So of what value is this to us you ask? Maybe the thing we need to be looking for is how can we as Christian believers fit this Day of Atonement into our lives and be more like the Christ in following the directions of Adonai the Father Almighty no different then Jesus the Son followed and observed this Day of Atonement. One thing that is important to consider in all of this is even thought Jesus was sinless before Adonai, why would he have followed all these observances? The answer to that question is if he hadn’t followed the Laws as written in Torah, and then he would not have been sinless. So we too should consider that maybe we need to gain a greater understanding of the way Jesus lived in order to be more Christ like in our lives, our observances, and seeking repentance through his offering on our behalf.

The Lord Bless you and Protect you!
The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!

The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman, TX.