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284 The Samaritans, also, adopted the custom of preparing for the day by a purificative bath and of spending the night and the day in the synagogue with prayer and fasting, singing hymns, and reading from the Law (see Samaritans). Bibliography: Hamburger, B. B. T. i., under Versfl7mit?if; uiid Versdhnuuystay; Zunz, S. P. pp. 76-80; Sacns, Die Religiose Pnexie der Juden in Spanien, 1845, pp. 173 et seq. Brueck, PharisCllstfie Valkssllten,

1855, pp. 13o-146.

K.

ATONEMENT, DAY OF

Tom

(D'nsan D1 ha-Kippurim). In Bible, Talmud, and Liturgy The term T)33 Dl Yom Kippur," is late rabbinic. The Biblical laws relating to it are Biblical found in Lev. xvi. (ceremonies) ib. Data. xxiii. 2(i-32 (list of holidays) ib. xxv.

"'





9 (ushering in the

xxix. 7-11

jubilee);

Num.

(sacrifices).

The Day

of Atonement, according to Biblical traone in the cycle of holidays instituted by Moses. It occurs on the tenth day of the seventh month, and is distinguished by abstaining thereon from food ("afflicting one's soul''; compare Isa. lviii. dition, is

and by an elaborate ceremonial. The details of the ritual, in accordance with rabbinical interpreMishnah and tation (Sifra and Rashi on Lev. xvi. ha-KippuGemaraYoma; "Yad "Hil. 'Abodat rim; Asheri), proceed about as follows: In the early morning the high priest, in his robes Ceremonies of office (described Ex. xxviii.,xxxix.), 3, 5)



Yom

According- offered the daily morning sacrifice to Bible and (Num. xxix. 11; Ex. xxix. 38 et seq.) Mishnah. and performed the ordinary morning rite of dressing the lamps, which was accompanied by an offering of incense (Ex. xxx. 7).

Next in order was the festival sacrifice of a bullock and seven lambs (Num. xxix. 7 et seq.). Then began the peculiar ceremonies of atonement, for which the high priest put on special vestments of linen (Lev. xvi. 4). With his hands placed on the head of a bullock (contributed from his own means), he made confession of his own sins and of those of his nearer household (verse 6, see Rashi). The two goats contributed by the people (verse 5) were placed before him, being designated by lot, the one for a sinoffering " for the Lord, " and the other to be sent away into the wilderness " for Azazel " (verses 7-10). Once more the high priest made confession over his own bullock, for himself and his wider household his

—

brother priests (verse 11«). After killing the animal (verse 1 16) and receiving its blood into a vessel, he took a censer full of live coals from the altar of burnt offering (Ex. xxvii. 1-8) and two handfuls of fine incense into the sacred recess behind the curtain, the Holy of Holies there he placed the incense on the coals, the cloud of incense enveloping the socalled "mercy-seat" (verse 12 et seq.), and offered a He returned for the vesshort prayer (Yoma v. 1). sel containing the blood of the bullock and reentered, sprinkling some of it with his finger eight times between the staves of the Ark (verse 14; Ex. xxv. 13He then left the sacred compartment to kill the 15). people's goat (marked "for the Lord"); with its blood he reentered the Holy of Holies, there to perform the same number of sprinklings in the same

place (verse

15).

284

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

Atonement, Day of

these rites the most holy place was rendered all impurities attaching to it through the intentional or unintentional entrance of unclean persons into the sanctuary Process

By free

from

of Purifica- (verse

16,

see Rashi



Num.

xix. 13,

By

sprinkling the bullock's blood and similarly that of the goat eight times against the curtain, the entrance to the Holy of Holies was purified (verse 106, see Rashi). No one was permitted to remain in the sanctuary while the high priest officiated in the Holy of Holies (verse 17). The high priest then mixed the blood of the bullock and goat, and put some of it on the four corners of the altar of incense (Ex. xxx. 1-10) he tion.

Rashi).

see



furthermore sprinkled some of it with his finger seven times on the surface of the altar, cleaned of its coal and ashes (verse 18 et seq.), while the remainder was poured out at the base of the altar outThe live goat was now brought side (Lev. iv. 7). forward. The high priest laid his hand uptonis head and confessed " all the iniquities of the Israelites,

and all their transgressions, even all their sins," which were thus placed upon the goat's head. Laden with the people's sins, the animal was sent away into the wilderness (verses 20-22). The high priest then took those portions that belonged on the altar out of the bodies of the bullock and the goat, and placed them temporarily in a vessel the carcasses of the animals were sent away " to the place where the ashes are thrown out " (Lev. iv. 12) and burned there (verse Clothed in his ordinary robes, the 27; Yoma vi. 7). high priest offered another goat for a sin-offering (Num. xxix. 11), and two rams for a burnt offering, one of which was contributed by himself (verse 24). The altar portions of the bullock and goat were now burned on the altar (verse 25; Yoma I.e. see Bertinoro), and the daily evening sacrifice was offered (Num. xxix. 11 Ex. xxix. 41). Once more the linen garments were put on, for the high priest again repaired to the Holy of Holies in order to remove thence the censer the sacred vestments were then deposited in the sanctuary. In his ordinary robes, the high piiest closed the service with the evening rite of lighting the lamps, which was accompanied by an offering of incense (Ex. xxx. 8 Yoma vii. 4). In the Mishnah the ceremonial is further enriched by elements having no Scriptural basis. Thus, before removing his linen garments for the first time, the high priest read to the people portions from the Pentateuch relating to the Day of Atonement (Yoma vii. 1). The Mishnah reproduces the exact wording of the three confessions (iii. 8, iv. 2, vi. 2); it states also that as often as the high priest Talmudical uttered the divine name (TbtbagkamAmplifi- maton), the assembled multitudes outcations, side, while prostrating themselves, responded " Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom for ever and ever" (vi. 2). Much is also said about the preparations which the high priest was to undergo during the week preceding the fast-day, and the night previous to the great











day

in particular;

against pollution

(i.

especially 1-7).

So

how he was

to

guard

great, according to the

Mishnah (vii. 4), was the dread that some mishap might befall the high priest while officiating in the Holy of Holies, that at the conclusion of the service