1. The Precise Order of Services, Sacrifices, and Purifications
2. Phase 1: Morning Daily Service (Golden Garments)
3. Phase 2: First Entry into the Holy of Holies (White Linen Garments)
4. Phase 3: Afternoon Sacrifices (Golden Garments)
5. Phase 4: Removing the Incense Tools (White Linen Garments)
6. Phase 5: Evening Service and Conclusion (Golden Garments)

The Precise Order of Services, Sacrifices, and Purifications

Here is a second guide for each of the 20 steps of the High Priest’s Yom Kippur Temple Service (Seder HaAvodah), complete with the traditional Hebrew names and their English translations for each step:

Phase 1: Morning Daily Service (Golden Garments):

Before beginning the unique Yom Kippur rituals, the High Priest performed the standard morning Temple duties.

Step-1. First Immersion and Golden Garments — טְבִילָה רִאשׁוֹנָה וּבִגְדֵי זָהָב (Tevilah Rishonah u’Bigdei Zahav — “First Immersion and Garments of Gold”). The High Priest immersed in a mikvah and put on the eight ornate golden garments.

Step-2. Morning Tamid Sacrifice — תָּמִיד שֶׁל שַׁחַר (Tamid shel Shachar — “Daily Morning Offering”). He slaughtered the daily morning lamb, offered its blood, burned incense, and tended the Menorah lamps.

Phase 2: First Entry into the Holy of Holies (White Linen Garments):

The High Priest transitioned into humble white garments to seek atonement for himself, his family, and the priesthood.

Step-3. Second Immersion and White Garments — טְבִילָה שְׁנִיָּה וּבִגְדֵי לָבָן (Tevilah Sheniyah u’Bigdei Lavan — “Second Immersion and Garments of White”). He removed the golden garments, immersed a second time, and dressed in four plain white linen garments.

Step-4. First Confession (For Himself and His Household) — וִדּוּי רִאשׁוֹן (Vidui Rishon — “First Confession”). Placing his hands on his own bull offering, he confessed his sins and spoke God’s sacred name aloud, prompting the crowd to prostrate.

Step-5. The Lottery for the Two Goats — הַגְרָלַת הַשְּׂעִירִים (Hagralat HaSe’irim — “Lottery of the Goats”). He drew lots from an urn to assign two identical goats. One was marked “For Adonai” and the other “For Azazel” (the scapegoat).

Step-6. Second Confession (For the Priesthood) — וִדּוּי שֵׁנִי (Vidui Sheni — “Second Confession”). He returned to his bull and confessed again, this time including all fellow priests (Kohanim), pronouncing the sacred name a second time.

Step-7. Slaughtering the Bull — שְׁחִיטַת הַפָּר (Shechitat HaPar — “Slaughtering of the Bull”). He slaughtered his own bull and collected its blood in a sacred basin.

Step-8. First Entry into the Holy of Holies (Incense) — הַקְטָרַת הַקְּטֹרֶת בְּקֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים (Haktarat HaKetoret b’Kodesh HaKodashim — “Burning of the Incense in the Holy of Holies”). Carrying a pan of burning coals and a ladle of fine incense, he entered the Holy of Holies. He placed the incense on the coals, filling the dark chamber with smoke before exiting backward.

Step-9. Second Entry into the Holy of Holies (Bull’s Blood) — הַזָּאַת דַּם הַפָּר (Haza’at Dam HaPar — “Sprinkling of the Bull’s Blood”). He took the basin of bull’s blood back into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled it once upward and seven times downward toward the Ark of the Covenant.

Step-10. Slaughtering the Goat “For Adonai” — שְׁחִיטַת שְׂעִיר הַחַטָּאת (Shechitat Se’ir HaChatat — “Slaughtering of the Sin-Offering Goat”). Outside the inner chamber, he slaughtered the goat designated for God and collected its blood.

Step-11. Third Entry into the Holy of Holies (Goat’s Blood) — הַזָּאַת דַּם הַשָּׂעִיר (Haza’at Dam HaSa’ir — “Sprinkling of the Goat’s Blood”). He re-entered the Holy of Holies and sprinkled the goat’s blood in the exact same manner as the bull’s blood.

Step-12. Sprinkling the Veil and Golden Altar — הַזָּאוֹת בַּהֵיכָל וְעַל מִזְבַּח הַזָּהָב (Haza’ot ba’Heichal v’al Mizbach HaZahav — “Sprinklings in the Sanctuary and on the Golden Altar”). Moving out into the main Sanctuary, he sprinkled both the bull’s blood and the goat’s blood toward the curtain (Parochet) and applied the mixed blood to the four corners of the golden incense altar.

Step-13. Third Confession and Sending the Scapegoat — וִדּוּי שְׁלִישִׁי וְשִׁלּוּחַ שָׂעִיר לַעֲזָאזֵל (Vidui Shelishi v’Shiluach Sa’ir la’Azazel — “Third Confession and Sending of the Goat to Azazel”). He laid his hands on the goat “For Azazel,” confessed the sins of the entire Jewish nation, and spoke God’s sacred name for the third time. An appointed messenger then led the goat into the wilderness.

Step-14. Preparing the Sacrifices and Reading the Torah — הֲכָנַת הָאֵמוּרִים וּקְרִיאַת הַתּוֹרָה (Hachanat HaEmurim u’Kriat HaTorah — “Preparation of the Sacrificial Portions and Reading of the Torah”). He prepared the internal organs of the bull and goat for the altar. Next, he read aloud the Yom Kippur passages from Leviticus and Numbers to the gathered crowd.

Phase 3: Afternoon Sacrifices (Golden Garments):

With the inner-sanctum atonement complete, the High Priest returned to his royal golden attire for the holiday’s public offerings.

Step-15. Third Immersion and Golden Garments — טְבִילָה שְׁלִישִׁית וּבִגְדֵי זָהָב (Tevilah Shelishit u’Bigdei Zahav — “Third Immersion and Garments of Gold”). He removed the white garments, immersed a third time, and put on the golden garments.

Step-16. Additional Holiday Sacrifices — הַקְרָבַת הָאֵילִים, מוּסָפִין וְתָמִיד שֶׁל בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם (Hakravat HaEilim, Musafin v’Tamid shel Bein HaArbayim — “Offering of the Rams, Additional Holiday Offerings, and Afternoon Daily Offering”). He offered two rams (one for himself and one for the nation) along with the holiday’s special Musaf offerings and the afternoon Tamid lamb. Phase 4: Removing the Incense Tools (White Linen Garments) The High Priest had to enter the Holy of Holies one final time to retrieve the vessels left there earlier. •

Step-17. Fourth Immersion and White Garments — טְבִילָה רְבִיעִית וּבִגְדֵי לָבָן (Tevilah Revi’it u’Bigdei Lavan — “Fourth Immersion and Garments of White”). He immersed a fourth time and changed back into the white linen garments.

Step-18. Fourth Entry into the Holy of Holies — הוֹצָאַת הַכַּף וְהַמַּחְתָּה (Hotza’at HaKaf v’HaMachtah — “Removal of the Ladle and the Coal Pan”). He walked into the Holy of Holies to remove the incense ladle and coal pan used in Step 8.

Phase 5: Evening Service and Conclusion (Golden Garments):

The long day concluded with the final evening rituals before the High Priest returned home to celebrate safely surviving the sacred encounter.

Step 19. Fifth Immersion and Golden Garments — טְבִילָה חֲמִישִׁית וּבִגְדֵי זָהָב (Tevilah Chamishit u’Bigdei Zahav — “Fifth Immersion and Garments of Gold”). He immersed for the fifth and final time and put on his golden garments.

Step 20. Evening Incense and Lamps — קְטֹרֶת שֶׁל בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם וְהַדְלָקַת הַנֵּרוֹת (Ketoret shel Bein HaArbayim v’Hadlakat HaNerot — “Afternoon Incense and Lighting of the Lamps”). He offered the afternoon incense on the golden altar, lit the Menorah lamps for the night, and changed back into his personal clothes to return home.

Messiah in Yom Kippur Chapter 10 >>