118_The day of atonement Lev 16:1-9 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, 2 and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. 3 But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. 6 “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. 7 Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. 9 And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering, 10 but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel. There is a story of a little boy who once broke his mother’s cherished vase while playing inside the house. In fear, he swept the shards under the carpet, hoping she wouldn’t notice. But the lump under the carpet was impossible to ignore. His mother eventually found out, and he stood trembling before her, expecting punishment. Instead, she knelt, embraced him, and said, “I forgive you, but we must clean this mess together.” This simple moment holds a deep spiritual truth. Just like that boy, we often try to cover up our sins, hoping they will remain unseen. But sin, like broken shards, leaves a mark—one that only true atonement can erase. The Day of Atonement, as described in Leviticus 16, is God’s way of dealing with the “lump under the carpet” of Israel’s sin, pointing to a greater fulfillment in Christ. Leviticus 16 marks a culmination of God’s instructions regarding sacrifices, priesthood, and what is holy versus unholy. It begins with a sobering reminder: the tragic death of Aaron’s two sons, who perished for offering unauthorized fire before the Lord (Leviticus 10). This warning underscores the necessity of obeying God's commands with precision. The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, was not about individual or family offerings but was a collective act of