Greetings. I am still trying to understand clearly the role of the Kohen Gadol in terms of the kapara of Yom Kippur and what its absence means after the Temple was destroyed. The complete kapara of Yom Kippur is unavailable, exactly like the purification of the para aduma is unavailable, leaving us with tumas meys. The kapara can not be said to be provided by tefilla, since EVEN in the time of the Temples people recited tefilla and prayed their own prayers to Hash-m.
So the avoda and sacrifices for Klal Yisroel are unavailable, which means that the full kapara of Yom Kippur is unavailable to us.
Thanks,
David Goldman
The Rambam in Hilchos Teshuvah 1:3 says "Atzmo Shel Yom Mechaper la'Shavim" - the day itself provides a full Kaparah when Se'ir ha'Mishtalei'ach cannot be brought - based on the Pasuk of "Ki ba'Yom ha'Zeh Yechaper Aleichem" (Vayikra 16:30). Tosfos in Shevuos 13a DH d'Avad concurs.
Kaparah of Yom Kippur is not dependent on Tefilah, but rather to Teshuvah, as the day itself atones for those who do Teshuvah.
Avraham Phillips
Thank you for your reply.
If that is true according to Rambam, then the avoda if the Kohen Gadol would be superfluous, but we know that his avoda is for himself, his household and all Jews. So if the kappara exists independent of his avoda, then really his avoda isn't so important for klal Yisroel. I am surprised Chazal did not discuss this in comparison with the situation of the para aduma and about the situation after the chorban of the first Temple.
Maybe it could be said that the posuk refers to the day assuming the avoda of the high priest.
It is interesting that the Chizkuni and Rabbenu Bachya connect the verse to the Kohen Gadol.
This means in the third person tense 'Yechaper', that on that day the Kohen Gadol will atone through his avoda. But the ambiguity of the language has implications, because saying that the day atones even without the avoda would make the avoda itself superfluous. Just my 10 cents......
The Rambam prefaces the above by saying, "In a time when the Beis Ha'Mikdash does not exist and we lack the Altar of Atonement ... the day itself atones for those who repent ...". The Avodah is necessary for Kaparah - when it is possible to do the Avodah.
The Avodas Ha'Melech points out that according to the Rambam the Kaparah of the Avodah is still more powerful than the Kaparah of the day alone when there is no Mikdash. The limitations discussed in Hilchos Teshuvah 1:4 do not apply to the Kaparah provided by the Avodah.
Yechaper is understood by the Rambam to mean "Hash-m will atone". The word Yechaper is undoubtedly open to the interpretation you suggest on a Pshat level, as we see in the Ibn Ezra.
Regarding the lack of Parah Adumah b'Zman ha'Zeh, Klal Yisrael can survive without the Parah Adumah simply by avoiding entering the Makom ha'Mikdash. It would be impossible to imagine the continued existance of Am Yisrael without the Kaparah of Yom Kipur.
Avraham Phillips