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For more background, see Yom Kippur Review.
From the Viddui (confession); You know the secrets of the universe, Nothing is hidden from You And so may it be Your will From the Avodah service of the High Priest (When the Temple stood, the centerpiece of Yom Kippur was the special service performed almost exclusively by the High Priest. Many of its components, including the choice of goat to be dispatched and pushed of a desolate cliff, were unique to Yom Kippur. This Avodah service effected the entire nation who waited with abated breath for a sign that atonement was achieved and that the High Priest would emerge safely from the Holy of Holies in the Temple, at the end of an arduous day.) A piyyut of unknown authorship:
True! - How majestic was the High Priest Like the heavenly canopy [Such] was the appearance of the [High] Priest. |