After the events with Aaron’s sons, Adonai outlines the regulations for entering the Holy of Holies behind the Holy Curtain in front of the Ark of the Covenant. Aaron was not allowed to come in just any time because Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh appears in the cloud over the kapparah. He was only allowed to enter on Yom Kippur, the day of atoning for the sins of Isra’el, the priesthood, and the Tabernacle; it was a solemn day of fasting.
Tag: Azazel
Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur
Another offering on the Day of Atonement involved two goats. After casting lots, one goat was sacrificed to God and its blood sprinkled on the Altar cleansing it from all of Israel’s sins. The other goat, called the scapegoat, had a different destiny. The priest would lay his hands on the head of the goat as he confessed the sins of Israel. This goat would not be sacrificed, but set free in the wilderness to take the sins of Israel far away. The sacrificed goat’s blood made atonement for their national sins; the scapegoat took their sins far away into the wilderness where it died.