כ-פ-ר

In a prior post, I recounted a dream that I had about coverings. It was my understanding at the time that, in Hebrew, ״כפר״ meant “covering”.  In later studies, I found that that wasn’t exactly correct and what I discovered has caused me to ponder about what it means to be “covered”.

I highly recommend going back to that post to read about the dream. Here, I will only add things that were either not included in the previous post or not understood by me at the time that I delivered that message. 

First of all, I had forgotten that, in my dream, the blowing of trumpets announced the gathering storm. The long blasts drew every person’s eyes towards the heavens to see the thick blackness approaching.

It wasn’t until later, when studying the design of the tabernacle, that I realized that the large open field was just like the outer courtyard of the tabernacle.  It was bounded by unseen, distant walls, but there was no roof overhead—no protection from the looming destruction.

The outer courtyard of the tabernacle is like the telestial kingdom.  It is filled with people who “received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus.” (Doctrine and Covenants 76:82) That gospel and that testimony are like the blankets. The protection from the storm that is offered by the gospel is widely available and simple in its application, but, for various reasons, difficult for people to implement. People struggle with repentance mainly because, though it is simple in its form, repentance requires levels of submission, humility, and contrition that are rarely attained. The distant and unseen outer walls may afford some measure of protection, but, when the skies turn to black and fire and brimstone rain down upon you, it is often too late to realize that you are not as protected as you think you are or to do anything about it.

It is also interesting to note that the blankets afforded a very basic level of protection. A roof overhead would have been a much more durable shelter and that is to be found within the shelter of the tabernacle’s inner court. Not everyone can enter into the inner court, however. Entrance into the inner court required certain qualifications to be met and those who could enter had certain responsibilities in both the inner and outer courts, to which they could move back and forth freely. Those in my dream who had no idea how to use the blankets were not even aware of the fact that a stronger shelter even existed.

The most interesting things that I learned after my dream had to do with the Hebrew letters כ-פ-ר. They definitely have to do with Atonement. Yom Kippur (יום כיפור) is the Day of Atonement—the day on which the high priest makes an atonement for the nation of Israel. And לכפר means “to atone; to expiate; to pardon; to forgive.”  But what I didn’t know was that those letters are used when talking about a very specific covering.  The word ״כפרת״ (kah-por-et) references the “ark-covering”—the solid gold lid of the ark of the covenant. In the King James Version of the Bible, this is called the “mercy seat”. It is the place from which Jehovah regularly spoke to Moses. Two golden cherubim were part of the solid gold lid and within the ark were housed things that testified of Jehovah’s interaction with Israel. The ark resided in the Holy of Holies—the innermost part of the tabernacle. Things that were gathered under the wings of the cherubim and which were guarded by Jehovah himself would have been the most protected from any approaching storm. Noah’s ark is also a type of this kind of protection and, interestingly enough, he was commanded to ״pitch it within and without with pitch.” (Genesis 6:14)  Want to know what the Hebrew words for pitch are? ״כפרת״ (kah-fahr-tah/verb) and ״כפר״ (ko-fehr/noun). See any similarities? The pitch that Noah uses to “seal” the ark uses the same letters that are used to name the covering of the ark of the covenant, wherein are housed those things that testify of Jehovah’s dealings with the nation of Israel.

Yom Kippur is celebrated on the tenth day of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. It is preceded by Yom Teruah, or “Day of Shouting”, or “Day of a Great Noise”, which is celebrated on the first day of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. This day is traditionally (though, not scripturally) marked by the blowing of the shofar.  Because of Babylonian influences, Yom Teruah was conflated with a Babylonian New Year’s celebration and is widely recognized as a very happy occasion. Scripturally, God does not disclose to Israel the reason why Yom Teruah is set apart as a holy day and, after my dream, I would suggest that that is because it is a “Day of Shouting” for different reasons. While there are those who shout for joy, there are also those who shout for fear of destruction. Ten days later, the high priest makes a formal atonement for those who qualify to belong to the nation of Israel.

The fall feasts (including Sukkot, which I haven’t mentioned here, but may do a post on later) are days to ponder our standing with God and to what degree we are “covered”. Are you covered with a blanket, a roof of animal skins, a lid of solid gold and Jehovah himself, or are you covered at all? Last night’s sunset marked the beginning of Yom Kippur on the Hebrew calendar. For me, the days between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur have been days of pondering, penitence, contrition, and re-evaluation regarding my standing with God and what steps I need to take to strengthen the “covering” that I have. They have been, admittedly, days of affliction which I hope to turn into days of rejoicing.