Although our parasha describes Yom Kippur, the Biblical Prophets never mention the day. R. Meir Simcha of Dvinsk contrasts this lacuna with the holiday of Passover that the Prophets referenced on occasion. He suggests that in the First Temple period, when Prophets operated, Yom Kippur was a quiet personal holiday that individuals marked by fasting at home and in the Temple the High Priest carried out his duties. Only in the Second Temple period, when prophecy came to an end, the service of the High Priest took on a more public dimension and provided the people with a prophetic atmosphere for which they longed. In our age, Yom Ha’atzmaut – Israel Independence Day – has become a national holiday, one that unites our nation and touches on the promises of the prophets of old.
