Page 11 - Ashlar October - December 2024

N A L G R
I O
G E AND LODGE
The Ashlar R Vol. XIX Issue III
YOM KIPPUR – DAY OF ATONEMENT “IT IS FINISHED”
BY W.BRO. JOSE CHEMMASSERY
Good evening dear Brethren. Fraternal days of repentence and as such as it is Day of
greetings to you all. It is indeed a great pleasure Atonement and forgiveness. It is the day a year
to be here this evening amongst you and share in which Jews are required to try to transcend
some thoughts on the CREED which we the material and to strive, if only for a short
continue to follow as Freemasons. while, to emulate the spiritual quality of the
As a Master Mason you have participated in the angels. This is achieved through self- denial of
sublime degree of raising ceremony and five areas: food,drink, anointing the body with
imbibed the contents conveying the tenets. I oils or perfumes, the wearing of leather shoes
invite your attention to the raising ceremony and sexual intimacy.
and especially the section of the Tracing Board. Seven days before Yom Kippur, the High Priest
As you are aware tracing board contains and was taken away from his household to a special
conveys the contents of the degree in gist as a chamber in the Temple Court and another
guide to reflect on the subject. priest was prepared to take his place in the
Let me take you to the lecture rendered by the event that anything should happen to render
W.M. explaining the tracing board. W.M. states, him ineligible (by ritually unclean or by suffering
inter alia,that “He (Hiram Abif) was not buried in certain bodily defects) for fulfilling his duties.
the Sanctum Santorum, because nothing There are specific instructions to be adhered to
common or unclean was allowed to enter there, before the High Priest enters into the Holy of
not even H.P.(High Priest) but once a year, not Holies where the Almighty God resides with
then until after many washingsand purifications power emanating from the Ark of the Covenant.
against the great day of expiations for sins, for Another priest is positioned to take over in case
by the Israelitish Law all flesh was deemed any mishap happens incapacitating him to
unclean .” discharge the ceremonial duties. He is wearing
Brethren the Day of Expiation noted above is the long robe with bells stitched to the hem and
the DAY OF ATONEMENT-YOM KIPPUR- as a long rope is tied to his ankle as a warning to
the most holy spiritual day of purification alarm any danger occurs during his stay in the
among the Israelites of the day. One day in a Holy of Holies. The assistant priest observing
year man attempts to serve God not as if he the status closely monitors the sojourn of High
were a man but as if he were an angel. Priest from outside without any contact with the
The following article on YOM KIPPUR explains High Priest.
the significance and importance of the day as ARK OF THE COVENANT,The Ark of the
part of masonic education for benefit of Covenant has been called the most explosive
brethren yearning for enlightenment.. artifact on earth. For 800years it was the most
The great day expiation for sins is known as precious and sacred object in the world- a large
“Yom Kippur”i.e. the day of the atonement. gold plated chest. The Ark of the Covenant
Atonement implies making amends for the came to be known as God’s earthly Throne so
sins/transgressions made against the to speak. Since the Holy one could be
Lord/God. One day a year man attempts to approached only in holiness, the Ark which
serve God not as if he were a man but as if he represented God’s presence, was to be treated
were an angel. The angels neither eat or drink as holy.The Biblical Ark of the Covenant was2
and their sole duty task is to praise God and live ½ cubit long by 11/2 cubits wide by 1 ½ cubits
in his sight. So on Yom Kippur the Jew neither higheven using the longercubits of 20.6inches,
eats nor drinks anything at all , observing the the Ark’s dimension would be no more than 51
strictest of fasts, and he spends all his waking ½ inches long by31 inches wide by 31 inches
hours in prayer. high. Expertly fashioned from acacia wood, the
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year in the gold plated chest enshrined the tablets of stone
Jewish calendar. It is the culmination of ten upon which God engraved the Ten

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