The Torah introduces the special Yom Kippur service in the Tabernacle and the role of the Kohain Gadol, the High Priest, in bringing atonement for the nation. Part of the service involved the Kohain Gadol’s entering the Holy of Holies, a place where no other person was allowed to enter the rest of the year. There he would offer a special incense offering.
Although usually the Kohain Gadol would wear eight beautiful vestments, before entering the Holy of Holies he would wear only four simple garments made of white linen. The reason for this is because Ahron, the first Kohain Gadol, had had a part in the nation’s sinning with the Golden Calf. It would thus be improper for him to try to atone for the nation while wearing golden garments that could serve as a “reminder” of this sin. The Rabbis explain that a “prosecutor cannot become a defender.” It is for this reason that it is customary today to wear a white kittel, or robe, on Yom Kippur. (The kittel is also worn at the Pesach Seder for a slightly different reason. Though we celebrate freedom on Pesach, we must be careful not to become so complacent with freedom that it leads to arrogance. The kittel, one of the shrouds in which a person is buried, serves as a sobering reminder of the responsibilities associated with freedom.)
Part of the service also involved taking two goats, of which one was sacrificed and the other sent to its death in the wilderness as a “scapegoat” to bear the sins of the nation. The Kohain Gadol would also confess for the sins of the nation. Of course repentance was also necessary for complete atonement.
The Kohain Gadol would change his clothing from the regular vestments to the special linen garments a total of five times throughout the day’s service. Each time he changed he had to immerse himself in water. Although we no longer have the Temple today, the fasting on Yom Kippur together with Teshuva, or repentance, still allows us to become purified through the holiness of the day.
Following the laws of Yom Kippur, the Torah forbids the consumption of blood. Although blood plays an important part in the sacrificial order on the Altar, it may not be eaten. The Torah explains that the essence of an animal lies in its blood. By eating blood a person ingests the essence of the animal, something to be avoided by a person yearning to develop his unique human character. The Torah also requires the blood of a kosher bird or non-domesticated animal to be covered with dirt immediately after slaughtering the animal. This, too, is meant to emphasize the covering of the essence of an animal before it can be eaten.
“...you shall speak to your child on that day....” (Exod. 13:8)
The primary focus of the Passover Seder is to transmit the fundamentals of Judaism from one generation to the next. It is the parents’ responsibility to pass on to their children not only the information, but also the importance of these fundamentals. A couple once asked Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman for a blessing that they should enjoy nachas (Torah-oriented pleasure) from their children. Rav Shteinman replied, “Your nachas will be commensurate with how much your child understands from you the nachas you would like to receive from him!”
Did You Know...
When the Seder falls after Shabbos, the shank bone and the egg for the Seder plate should be roasted before Shabbos. Although cooking is permitted on Yom Tov, that is only true for food that will be eaten on that day of Yom Tov. Since the custom is not to eat roasted meat at the Seder, to differentiate from the roasted sacrifice eaten in the Temple, it may not be cooked on Yom Tov. However, if one forgot to cook the shank bone before Shabbos, one may cook it as long as he intends to eat it the following morning. The same thing would repeat itself the following night before the second Seder. The roasted egg may be eaten at the Seder, and may thus be cooked after Shabbos.
