The white marble of the Bet Hamikdash shone in a very special way. When we arrived at Mount Moriah, we noticed that the Temple was surrounded by a wall as if it were a fortress. We entered through one of its gates and passed through several courtyards with columns. We ascended a flight of steps and arrived at the Nicanor Gate, a huge bronze gate that required twenty men to open. That gate led us to the women’s courtyard and from there we went to the men’s courtyard, where half was reserved for us lay people and the other half for the Kohanim. To the right of the Courtyard of the Priests was the altar and the place for sacrificing animals. Around the courtyard there were several rooms: one where the Sanhedrin met, another where the Cohen Gadol lived during the week before Yom Kippur and others where the Kohanim bathed and groomed themselves. Above was the Hechal, a large, dark room where only the light of the Menorah illuminated it. From this room one passed to the most sacred place, the Kodesh Hakodashim, where only on Yom Kippur the High Priest, the Cohen Gadol, could enter.

We all prepared for the Great Day. We asked forgiveness from one another and fasted for our transgressions. But the one who prepared the most was the Cohen Gadol. It took him seven days to do so. He went over all the rituals and Torah readings that he would do on Yom Kippur. He had to do it perfectly. If he made a mistake, another priest was ready to replace him.

When the Great Day came, the Cohen Gadol bathed several times. Then he dressed in golden clothes. It was quite a sight to see: he looked like a shining sun. He lit the incense and arranged the lights of the Menorah. Then he washed and changed his clothes again. His clothes were now white linen of great simplicity. A young bull was ready for the first sacrifice. The High Priest proceeded to sacrifice it and say the appropriate blessings.

Then he went to where the two goats were. He took out two gold tablets, one reading “For God” and the other reading “For Azazel.” He turned them over and the fate of the goats was sealed: one would be sacrificed for God and the other would be the scapegoat. The people awaited the ritual by which all their sins would be placed on the animal. Then it was taken away to be lost in the desert.

After the sacrifices, the High Priest prepared the incense, took off his sandals and entered the Kodesh Hakodashim, where he prayed for a long time for a good year for his people. The people were relieved when they saw him leave. They feared for his life. The service ended when the High Priest took out the Torah scrolls and read the parts that speak of Yom Kippur (Vaykra 16). He then recited other verses from the Torah from memory and finished with the eight traditional blessings.

This was the Yom Kippur ritual in the time of the Bet Hamikdash, certainly different in form from what we do today, but with the same foundation of our ancient values.

By Marcos Gojman

Bibliography: The Jewish Festivals, History and Tradition by Hayyim Schauss and The Torah, A Modern Commentary edited by W. Gunther Plaut.