Because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. The theological purpose of the Day of Atonement stated in the clearest possible terms: atonement will be made, you will be cleansed, you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord. The comprehensive cleansing — all your sins — communicates the completeness of the Day of Atonement's provision. The community that enters the Day of Atonement burdened by the year's accumulated sins exits it declared clean. The annual cycle of accumulation and cleansing that the Day of Atonement creates is the institutional expression of God's ongoing commitment to maintaining the covenant relationship despite the community's inevitable failures.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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