ARTICLES

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

The ancient Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, concludes this evening, October 2, 2025 (5786), after 25 hours of fasting, prayer, rest, and remembrance on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Both secular and religious Jews, about 17 million people across the globe, have united in diverse practices on every continent, from bustling cities to quiet villages.

In Israel, the ancestral Jewish homeland, daily life comes to a complete halt as more than 7 million Jewish citizens devote themselves to forgiveness and renewal. Streets normally filled with cars become safe havens for children riding bicycles. Families gather in synagogues to recite liturgies that have echoed through the centuries. Among the rituals are Avinu Malkeinu (“Our Father, Our King”), a heartfelt prayer of repentance recited during the Ten High Holy Days; Al Chet, a collective confession of sins; and Kol Nidre, a solemn declaration nullifying rash or unintentional vows from the previous year.

For Christians, repentance is not limited to a single 24-hour period. It is a daily lifestyle grounded in relationship with Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. Yet the Day of Atonement foreshadowed His coming, when He willingly became the ultimate scapegoat for humanity’s sins and wrongdoing. The modern word “scapegoat” refers to someone unfairly blamed for the wrongs of others, but in the context of Yom Kippur its origins reach back to the Exodus.

When Moses descended Mount Sinai carrying the Ten Commandments, he discovered the Israelites worshiping a golden calf. Their disobedience prompted God to establish Yom Kippur as a means of repentance and forgiveness. From then on, scapegoats became central to the rituals of atonement, offering a vivid reminder to both Jews and Christians of humanity’s natural inclination toward sin. Leviticus 16:10 describes how two identical goats were chosen.

One, designated “for the Lord,” was sacrificed for the sins of the people, its blood sprinkled on the Mercy Seat inside the Tabernacle. The other, designated “for Azazel,” became the scapegoat. The High Priest placed his hands on the goat’s head, confessed the sins of the entire community, and symbolically transferred those sins to the animal. The goat was then driven into the wilderness, often over a cliff, to ensure it never returned.

This ancient act pointed forward to Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the role of both goats. He shed His blood for atonement and removed sins far from us. Psalm 103:12 captures this promise: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” God’s majesty shines through these Old Testament festivals, which reveal a seamless story culminating in Christ. The study of both Testaments together illuminates the depth of His plan for redemption.

Two thousand years later, scapegoating continues in another form. It erupted 725 days ago, when Hamas launched its brutal massacres and unleashed an avalanche of propaganda. Within hours of the October 7, 2023, invasion, much of the world aligned with Hamas’s campaign of lies against Israel and Jews everywhere. Mainstream media amplified those lies, becoming accomplices rather than truth-tellers. They did not commit the murders, yet by uncritically repeating Hamas’s narratives they fueled more violence and antisemitism. Next Tuesday, October 7, marks the somber second anniversary of this attempted modern-day Holocaust.

Hostages remain in Gaza, some alive and others murdered. Food aid sits unused while Hamas manipulates civilians as pawns. Just last month, Hamas executed 20 Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel. Videos surface of them looting aid trucks, beating civilians, and shooting at international relief teams. Their cruelty is not hidden; it is celebrated.

Israel, meanwhile, makes unprecedented efforts to protect civilians, even evacuating more than 7,000 Palestinians for medical care. Yet the world relentlessly blames Israel for everything. Hamas exploits Israel’s warnings to civilians, urging people to stay put so they can become human shields. Of course, no nation is without fault, but Israel and the Jewish people have become the world’s scapegoats in a new wave of hatred that seeks their destruction. The chilling chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” echoes the age-old desire to wipe them off the map.

History’s darkest strategies, once employed by the Nazis, now reappear as a thick black cloud over the world. Will the United Nations, global leaders, and international media outlets repent of their complicity? Even some Christians, Jews, and Muslims deny or ignore the reality that Hamas proudly uses hostages and civilians as shields.

For Christians especially, this is not only a geopolitical conflict but a spiritual one, waged both in the heavenlies and on earth against the God of Israel, the Author of the Bible. Scapegoating Israel is ultimately a rejection of the truth God entrusted to the Jewish people, including the birth of the Messiah through a Jewish virgin.

Psalm 103:12 reminds us of the mercy we receive through Christ.

On this Yom Kippur, we invite you to join CBN Israel in sharing truth, standing against scapegoating, and lifting prayers for Israel.

Prayer Points:

• Praise God for atoning for our sins through Jesus.
• Pray for Israelis as they face the painful two-year anniversary of October 7, 2023.
• Pray for the members of the IDF risking their lives in Gaza City.
• Pray for the families of the 913 IDF soldiers, sailors, and airmen who died defending their nation during Operation Swords of Iron.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.