How do we atone for our sins if there is no Temple? Isn’t it convenient that Jesus’ death was extremely close to the destruction of the Temple? If the Temple is destroyed how do we atone for our sins, I have seen where the Temple should be, (I’ve been to Jerusalem), but there is no standing temple, where does G-d dwell? If we can’t sacrifice, what blood atones for our sins?
Atonement through blood? We don’t need it. Never did. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I’ll give you three proofs:
Number one (courtesy of Rabbi S.R. Hirsch): The Tabernacle (Mishkan – portable temple used by the Jews for their years in the wilderness and for the first centuries in Israel before the Temple in Jerusalem was built) was erected for the first time on the first day of the first month in the SECOND year after the Jews left Egypt (see Exodus 40; 17). Until that time, obviously, there were no animal or incense offerings (with the one-time exception of the Passover offering in Egypt itself).
The sin of the golden calf took place and was atoned for BEFORE the Mishkan was built! (as is clear from many verses: the sin occurred the day Moses came down which was 40 days after the giving of the Torah on the 6th day of the 3rd month of the first year; atonement occurred 40 more days after that, see Exodus 32; 30 – 34; 10). The atonement for one of the greatest sins in Jewish history was all wrapped up even before the first drop of “atonement blood” was spilled!
Number two: If you will carefully read the passages in the Torah describing Temple offerings (most of which appear in the first seven chapters of Leviticus) you will find that with one – and only one – exception, ALL offerings come to atone only for accidental sins (e.g., you weren’t aware that the particular act was sinful). The exception is the guilt offering brought for denying your obligation to testify in court.
So ask the “atonement-through-blood” people how the Jews EVER achieved atonement for any of their intentional sins!
Number three: The Talmud tells us that, even for those sins whose consequences can be softened by offerings, the act of studying the laws of their particular offerings substitutes for its being brought.
So what, then, is the purpose of Temple offerings? Rabbi Hirsch (in his priceless commentary to Chumash – it’s available in English but even then requires hard work to understand) goes to great lengths to show how each nuance and law of each type of offering – it’s location, time, process etc. – is meant to impress upon the bringer and the observer an aspect of the true Divine plan for humankind. If we bring the offering with our eyes and hearts open to its messages, then we will surely become better, will leave the Temple inspired to live up to G-d’s holy mission and will certainly stay far from the sin that brought us there in the first place (although, sin is only one reason for bringing an offering).
That, no doubt, is why studying the laws is akin to bringing the offering…both can have the same effect.
And how do we get atonement? The same way we always did. Repentance, Yom Kippur and, if necessary, personal suffering and eventual death (see the final chapter of the Talmud Tractate Yoma). You might like to ask exactly what atonement is…it’s an elusive concept. But we can leave that for another time.
You asked: “where does G-d now dwell?” Just where He always did. G-d is incorporeal (He must be as by definition He is infinite and could not possibly be bound by a body of any sort). He isn’t in any one place more than any other. To be fair, it is said that G-d performed “Tzimtzum HaMakom” – compression of His presence into the particular location of the Temple – but that’s only His presence, not His self and anyway, there’s nothing “forcing” Him to remain there or to “go somewhere else” if He decides to leave.
Wasn’t Jesus a Jew, and a Rabbi? Is his real name Y’shua?
Perhaps. There is a passage in the Talmud that describes a student of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Perachiya who was expelled from the academy for paying improper attention to the appearance of a certain woman. This student (who, in our editions, is unnamed) then gathered a following and founded a pagan cult. Interestingly, if this student is Jesus, then he would have been about 60 years older than the Christians would have it – and his death would have taken place a full century before the destruction of the Temple.
But that surely doesn’t prove that he was a god…or even messiah. And his death, whenever it might have been, was one of hundreds of thousands of Jewish deaths in those decades. It’s a bit of a logical stretch to attribute the destruction of the Temple more to his death than to that of any other Jew!
Best regards,
Rabbi Boruch Clinton