yom kippur
Blood Atonement
Christians insist that blood sacrifice is a necessary prerequisite for the atonement of sin. These Christians believe that this is an open teaching of the Jewish Scriptures. Although there is no verse which explicitly says: “without blood there is no atonement” Christians still believe that the overall testimony of the Jewish Scriptures would lead one to this conclusion. Some Christians read Leviticus 17:11 as if it were to say that there is no atonement without blood. However; a closer reading
Zalman Kravitz
Take the Elevator to the Top
The Tenth of Tishrei, the date of Yom Kippur, marks the anniversary of when Moshe (Moses) descended from Mount Sinai for the second time, following the people's sin with the Golden Calf. B'nai Yisroel (Children of Israel) and Moshe prayed that God should hear their plea for atonement and forgiveness from such an unfathomable sin. God, in His Kindness, "heard our prayers - and forgave us." Thus, began the eternal yearning to repair our souls, to ask forgiveness and purify ourselves. The concept
Zalman Kravitz
How do we know G-d hears our prayers on Yom Kippur?
We often ask: “How do we know that G-d hears our prayers and forgives us on Yom Kippur, especially since we no longer have the Holy Temple and the sacrificial system for atonement?” The Tanach (Torah, Prophets and Holy Writings) is filled with dozens of verses that prescribe ways to ask, and receive, forgiveness for our sins; whether it is Yom Kippur or another day. In fact, King Solomon never mentions sacrifices when dedicating the Holy Temple to G-d, and, instead, so eloquently state
Zalman Kravitz
The So-called Hebrew Christian Seder
I was recently invited by a "Hebrew Christian" acquaintance to a program called "Christ in the Passover". She told me that Jesus was the ultimate manifestation of the Paschal lamb that was sacrificed each Passover, and that he was killed as a sacrifice to redeem the world from sin. How do Jews respond to these claims? The exodus of the Jewish people from their long bondage in Egypt 3,300 years ago was preceded by ten plagues that G-d visited upon our oppressors. The last of these plagues was th
Zalman Kravitz
Chapter 11a - THE ATONEMENT PROCESS
Continued from Chapter 10b (Leviticus 17:11) Fulfilling the Torah’s requirements Christians argue that the multiplicity of biblical laws makes it impossible for one to have a proper relationship with God based on those laws because no one person could possibly fulfill all of the Torah’s requirements. But, this conclusion involves a misunderstanding as to the goal of the Torah. In its entirety, it is addressed not to the individual but to the community. The individual is expected to carry out
Zalman Kravitz