The Ultimate Day of Atonement

[Revising and resharing a post from 2011 that I've been thinking about a lot this Easter season]

During some research to learn about Yom Kippur, I came across an absolutely astounding piece of writing from the Jewish tradition that if you blink you might miss it (It might take a little bit for me to get to my main point so make sure you read to the end). Yoma is a Jewish rabbinical text from the Babylonian Talmud written around 200 AD/CE. Read what it says in its section on Yom Kippur:

“The Sages taught: During the tenure of Shimon HaTzaddik, the lot for God always arose in the High Priest’s right hand; after his death, it occurred only occasionally; but during the forty years prior to the destruction of the Second Temple, the lot for God did not arise in the High Priest’s right hand at all. So too, the strip of crimson wool that was tied to the head of the goat that was sent to Azazel did not turn white, and the westernmost lamp of the candelabrum did not burn continually. And the doors of the Sanctuary opened by themselves as a sign that they would soon be opened by enemies, until Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai scolded them. He said to the Sanctuary: Sanctuary, Sanctuary, why do you frighten yourself with these signs? I know about you that you will ultimately be destroyed, and Zechariah, son of Ido, has already prophesied concerning you: “Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars” (Zechariah 11:1), Lebanon being an appellation for the Temple.” (Yoma 39b).

Fallen stones from the destroyed 2nd Jewish Temple. By Levi Meir Clancy Unsplash

OK so let’s talk about what’s happening here, in order.

So first, author states that the “lot for God did not arise in the right hand”; this refers to the Yom Kippur lottery selecting which of two goats would be sacrificed ‘for the Lord’ and which one would be driven off into the wilderness ‘for Azazel’. Essentially, having the “bad” lot come up each time for forty years straight was seen as a very bad omen by the author of Yoma (and statistically nearly impossible). It gets worse though.

           The crimson strap becoming white refers to the rope that would be tied to the scapegoat. This was the goat chosen ‘for Azazel’ and thrown off the cliff of Mount Azazel into the wilderness to take away the sins of the people. Many times, Yoma states before the passage I quoted, this scarlet cord would become white as snow once the goat was thrown off, signifying the forgiveness of sins for the people (Isaiah 1:18- “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”). But in Yoma 39b, we see that for the forty years prior to the destruction of the Temple, the scarlet cord never turned white; driving the scapegoat off into the wilderness apparently did not accomplish the forgiveness of sins.

            The “westernmost light” also stopped shining. This refers to the lamp that supernaturally, continuously burned to signify God’s presence and blessing. Now, for some reason the supernatural light ceased to burn of its own accord.

            Finally, the passage states the doors of the Sanctuary would open on their own, as if inviting destruction from Israel’s enemies. The Jewish historian Josephus from the first century tells of something similar happening in the late 60s CE: "The Eastern gate of the inner court of the Temple, which was of brass, and vastly heavy, and had been with difficulty shut by twenty men, and rested upon a base armored with iron, and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor, which was there made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of its own accord about the sixth our of the night" (The Wars of the Jews, 6.5.3). Thus what we see in both these passages is that the doors to the Temple would sometimes open on their own for the forty years prior to the destruction of the Temple.

Why did all these things start occurring at the same time, 40 years before the destruction of the Temple? What could possibly explain all these coincidences as reported by the Jewish Talmud?

Well, I have one theory. The destruction of the Temple occurred in 70 CE. Exactly forty years prior to that, 30 CE, is when the rabbi Yeshua (Jesus) was crucified by the Romans. That means that, starting the year after Yeshua was crucified, the Yom Kippur lot started coming up in the wrong hand. The crimson wool on the scapegoat no longer turned white to signify the forgiveness of sins. God’s presence was no longer symbolized by the ever-shining light in the Temple. And the doors blocking access to the Temple would swing open of their own accord, as if now God’s holy presence was henceforth available to all.

What if Jesus’ death in 30 CE forever replaced animal sacrifice as the means to forgiveness? What if it also signified that’s God’s presence no longer resided in just a building? What if the doors to the Temple would swing open to show that God had burst out of his enclosure; a building could no longer contain his glory? What if He was now unleashed into the world?

Maybe the ultimate Day of Atonement was accomplished once and for all, one dark and glorious day in 30 AD. At least, that’s what I think Yoma 39b seems to suggest, when read through my Christian perspective. I’ll let you make your own opinion. And please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or alternative explanations.