September 27th @ 6:00 pm
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most somber day of the biblical calendar. Yom Kippur concludes the Ten Days of Awe that began on Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashanah) Like Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur is a prospective holiday, when we prepare for the year ahead through fasting, repentance, and confession.
The Lord established the Day of Atonement in Leviticus and He gave rues and instructions for this important day and season. The Lord tells Moses in Leviticus 16:29, “29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country or a stranger that sojourneth among you: 30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. 31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute forever. 32 And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments: 33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation. 34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.”
Before Yom Kippur begins, believers spend the Ten Days of Awe leading up to Yom Kippur making amends with their fellow man. It is important that believers enter the season of Yom Kippur in the spirit of reconciliation and repentance for past wrongs.
On the day of Yom Kippur, we encourage you to abstain from work and practicing self-denial (fasting), as instructed in Leviticus 16. Believers typically take the day off from work and spend it fasting, praying, and worshiping our Heavenly Father.
In preperation for Yom Kippur, it is customary for believers to perform a Mikvah. A Mikvah is considered a special ritual bath for cleansing just prior to Yom Kippur. In Leviticus 16:24, on the Day of Yom Kippur, the high priest would go and Mikvah before making atonement for the Children of Israel. In Hebrews 10:22 it says, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Here at Beit Tehila, we offer our community an opportunity to have your very own personal Mikvah just prior to Yom Kippur. All we request is that you contact our ministry office and reserve your personal Mikvah timeslot.
We would like to also invite you to come and join us on September 27th at 6:00 pm for our Yom Kippur service. If you feel the water calling you would like to reserve your Mikvah time, please give our office a call at 813-654-2222.
