True Religion? Tetzaveh

“And Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once per year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once per year through your generations. It is holy of holies to the Lord.”

Exodus 30:10

Atonement is a central aspect to many religions. Alexander Pope’s “to err is human, to forgive is divine” succinctly captures the sentiment. Sin is part of the human condition.

Antiquity atonement was likely tricky. Extreme measures, i.e. death penalty for Sabbath violations, left little room for forgiveness. Over time, atonement changed.

Atonement is not one dimensional. Human-human and human-deity are the likely interactions. Humans willingness to forgiven differs from that of God.

The act of atonement, as is seen in the Torah Portion Tetzaveh, can be a scheduled event. Apparently, people, throughout the year, acquire sinful baggage in need of cleaning. Atonement does not require a specific “bad act” to initiate the process. Rather, the Torah includes atonement on the calendar. Tetzaveh details the annual atonement ceremony performed by the High Priest’s entering the holy of holies. The location of the ceremony evidences the importance of atonement.

Atonement in Modernity

Is atonement also a secular concept? Surprisingly, atonement is deeply rooted in secular societies. The participants to the interactions differ. While there are still human-human interactions, there are also human-court of public opinion ones.

Modern secular societies are able to exact atonement without the need for animal sacrifice. Rather, a society’s pound of flesh is achieved through other means. Societal acts of atonement often occur to the likes of politicians, performers and celebrities. Non-criminal matters such as infidelity and substance fill the docket. These individuals seek to regain their standing. Their reputations and social acceptance are at stake. Their failure to do so could cause them to lose followers. With diminished drawing power, they lose their earning power. Fees for their services could drop. Roles that they were up for could be given to others.

The court of public opinion serves in lieu of a deity to address atonement. For some, atonement involves some punishment. Some involves contrition. Thus, some secular atonement ironically involves “finding religion.” Many troubled politicians find themselves speaking at a religious service as part of their atonement process.

Atonement has a cost. Contrition, apologies, charitable donations, or a period of seclusion are sacrificial replacements.

The reality is that societies need a mechanism to allow wrong doers to clean their slates to start anew.

The Most Famous Act of Atonement?

King David is the focus of the Hebrew Bible’s most memorable atonements. His infidelity with Bathsheba along with actions which led to her husband’s death culminated in the ultimate take-down.

Well aware David’s indiscretions, the Prophet Nathan confronted the King. He did so in the form of telling the Monarch a tale. He told him a story of a poor man and his pet lamb. He told of a rich man, who despite his own flock of lambs, chose slaughter the poor man’s lamb. 2 Samuel 12:1-4.

Enraged by the story, King David demanded justice. At that point, Nathan revealed to David that he was “the man!” He was the culprit.

The Prophet’s decree was harsh. For David, it was that “the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me[ the Lord.]” 2 Samuel 12:10.

Nathan went further: the “Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight.”

The Lord’s reasoning for the punishment was: “You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.” 2 Samuel 12:12.

After David admits to his sin, he is told: “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die.” 2 Samuel 12:14

In this instance, David paid a steep cost to maintain the monarchy.

Atonement’s Mindset

David’s atonement resonates in secular terms. His acts, although done under a religious based Kingdom, are ones that most societies would abhor. Infidelity and culpability in the loss of another’s life certainly would warrant measures of atonement. The nature and extent of these acts perpetrated in a secular society would be subject to debate. In modern times, what would be the appropriate amount of penance?

Today, those committing social offenses have their matters adjudicated continuously through the court of public opinion. Their atonement and resolution is often measured upon their social standing. Have they lost followers on Instagram? Have they lost a movie contract due to the fact that they have lost adoring fans? What matters can happen to allow politicians or celebrities to wipe their slate clean? Or, is their slate partially wiped? Are they to be welcomed back into the fold diminished status?

The reality is that a significant segment of society exercises judgment in these matters. Thus, there are many who ask”How bad was the act?” and “How substantial should be the punishment?”

Conclusion

The reality is the atonement, sin and forgiveness exists within both a religious and a secular context. Each one defines the sin. The difference is that in a religious based context, i.e. the Torah, there are rules of conduct that are laid out. There are expectations upon how one conducts one’s affairs.

In the secular world, however, many matters fall only within the realm of criminality. The “social offenses” are not codified. Rather, they are free flowing. Sometimes, people are completely unaware when they have crossed societal lines. Despite that, they may be subject to the court of public opinion.

Be well!!

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