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How are we to understand the apparent contradiction that Yom Kippur<\/a> is to be observed as a \u201cstatute forever\u201d (Lev. 16:29) while the New Testament emphatically states that Yeshua puts an end to animal sacrifice and now is our eternal atonement (Heb. 9:12; Heb. 9:24-26)? To begin we must note that this contradiction only arises when we make the (false) assumption that the Sinai covenant could never be abrogated, which would imply that a new covenant is logically impossible. If we can only relate to God through the covenantal terms given at Sinai, in other words, then the Levitical priesthood (alone) serves to mediate us before God, and there would be no need for a covenant based on the better priesthood and promises of the Messiah (Heb. 8:6). Nevertheless, the new covenant was clearly foretold throughout the Torah, the writings, and the prophets, and the assumption that the Sinai covenant is \u201cimmutable\u201d is therefore false. We can understand this by an analogy: If an employer makes a contract with an employee with certain provisions and conditional benefits that are subject to annual review, but later rescinds that contact and offers a new one with far better benefits, there is no contradiction involved. In our case a real contradiction would be, \u201cyou must observe Yom Kippur forever,\u201d and then – in the very same contract – later read, \u201cyou no longer need observe Yom Kippur forever.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since the Torah says of the Yom Kippur ritual, \u201cthis shall be a statute forever (\u05d7\u05bb\u05e7\u05bc\u05b7\u05ea \u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd) for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins” (Lev. 16:34), it is urgent for us to explore what \u201cforever\u201d might mean in this case, especially in light of the atonement given in Yeshua. First, we note that the Hebrew word translated \u201cforever\u201d is olam<\/em> (\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd), which is derived from a root verb alam<\/em> (\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b7\u05dd) that means “to conceal” or “to hide.” Olam may have its origins using spatial imagery, a distance so vast that it is unseen, beyond the horizon, and therefore it can also mean \u201cworld.\u201d When it is applied to the terms of the Sinai covenant (and the Tabernacle represents the \u201critual expression\u201d of that covenant), the word means perpetual, ongoing, etc., in the horizon of domain or \u201cworld.\u201d It is interesting to note that the Jewish sages never regarded \u201colam\u201d as unchangeable, since in the world to come Torah will come from Zion (Isa. 2:3). For more on this important point, see the article \u201cOlam HaTorah: The World of the Torah.\u201d<\/p>\n Second, we must remember that Torah (\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4) is a “function word” that expresses our responsibility in light of the covenantal acts of God, and if you choose to relate to God by means of the Sinai covenant, you are liable to the terms and provisions of that contract (e.g., niddah<\/em> laws, blood ritual laws, tithing laws, agricultural laws, etc.), and this includes being liable to the enumerated curses for disobedience (tochachah<\/em>). The covenant at Sinai is indeed eternal and never can change – it is brit olam<\/em>, a perpetual covenant – but if you choose to abide by its terms, you are responsible for your side of the contract… The Book of Hebrews states: “When there is a change in the priesthood (\u05d4\u05b7\u05db\u05bc\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4), there is necessarily (\u1f00\u03bd\u1f71\u03b3\u03ba\u03b7) a change in the Torah as well” (Heb. 7:12). The Levitical priesthood expresses the Torah of the Covenant of Sinai (\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea \u05d9\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4), just as the greater priesthood of Yeshua expresses the Torah of the New Covenant (\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea \u05d7\u05b2\u05d3\u05b8\u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05d4).<\/p>\n Third, Yeshua our Messiah came to deliver us from sin and to establish the new covenant with God, which both transcends the covenant given at Sinai and provides an entirely new way to be in relationship with God by the power of the Holy Spirit. The new covenant sets us free from the terms of Sinai (by the death of the Testator, Heb. 9:15) so that we might serve God in a new and better way (see Jer. 31:33; Rom. 7:1-6; Heb. 8:6; Rom. 9:31-32; Acts 13:39; Gal. 4:21-5:1). We “die” to the terms of the former contract to serve God in a new and powerful way (Rom. 7:1-4), with the inner intent of the law written upon our hearts (Jer. 31:31-33). This is the “deeper Torah” that goes back to the original covenant made in the Garden of Eden (for more on this, see \u201cThe Gospel in the Garden<\/a>\u201d).<\/p>\n Fourth, Yeshua is the King, the Lawgiver of Torah, and its Substance: he did not come to destroy the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill their message and meaning (Matt. 5:17-18; Rom. 10:4). As the King, he has the authority to annul contracts with his subjects, and he has the authority to implement new agreements based on his sovereign will… The Torah of Moses commanded, \u201cThou shalt not kill…\u201d but the King of Torah (\u05de\u05dc\u05da \u05d4\u05ea\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4) went to the heart of the matter, explaining that murder was a symptom of the deeper sin of anger…<\/p>\n Finally, those who follow the law of Moses simply cannot keep the Day of Atonement as clearly commanded in the Book of Leviticus, nor have Jews been able to do so since 70 AD, after the destruction of the Second Temple as foretold by Yeshua (Matt. 24:2; Luke 19:41-4). Note that this was by divine design, since the way into the Holy of Holies (i.e., kodesh hakodashim:<\/em> \u05e7\u05d3\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e7\u05bc\u05b3\u05d3\u05b8\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd) was not yet open for all as long as the “outer tent” still stood (i.e., the Levitical priesthood as the ritualistic expression of the covenant made at Sinai), since that was symbolic of “the present age,” or the “dispensation that was passing away” (Heb. 8:13, 9:8-9; for more, see \u201cThe Parochet Rent in Two\u201d). Despite the later invention of \u201cJudaism without the Temple,\u201d the life is indeed \u201cin the blood\u201d (Lev. 17:11) and in Messiah we are given fullness of life! Only Yeshua gives us true atonement, and that’s the true Torah of the LORD! The redemption obtained by animal sacrifices was merely provisional and symbolic, \u201cfor it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins\u201d (Heb. 10:4). For eternal remedy something far greater was needed, namely, the sacrifice of God Himself. Consequently, when Yeshua came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me,\u201d and \u201c’Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book\u201d (Heb. 10:5,7). As the Book of Hebrew states: “We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat who serve the Tabernacle” (i.e., the Levitical system of worship). We are cleansed from our sins and made eternally right with God because of the cross of Yeshua…<\/p>\n The bottom line is this. We have a greater High Priest who intercedes for us by means of his own shed blood within the true Holy of Holies, \u201cmade without hands,\u201d in the olam of reality. We do not mix the covenants of God, for this leads to double-mindedness and is regarded as spiritual adultery (Rom. 7:1-4). Remember: The promised \u201cnew covenant\u201d (\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05ea \u05d7\u05d3\u05e9\u05c1\u05d4) is \u201cnot like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt (Jer. 31:32), that is, it is not like the covenant made at Sinai with Moses\u2019 mediation. It is chillul HaShem<\/em> – the desecration of the Name above all Names – to turn away from the meaning and message of the cross of Messiah.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How are we to understand the apparent contradiction that Yom Kippur is to be observed as a \u201cstatute forever\u201d (Lev. 16:29) while the New Testament emphatically states that Yeshua puts an end to animal sacrifice and now is our eternal atonement (Heb. 9:12; Heb. 9:24-26)? To begin we must note that this contradiction only arises […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holidays","category-torah"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3846"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3846\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3848,"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3846\/revisions\/3848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}