Pardon us, our Father, for we have sinned; forgive us, our King, for we have transgressed; for You are a good and forgiving God. Blessed are You Lord, gracious One who pardons abundantly. O behold our affliction and wage our battle; redeem us speedily for the sake of Your Name, for You God are the mighty redeemer. Blessed are You Lord, Redeemer of Israel.

Answer us, O Lord, answer us on our fast day, for we are in great distress. Do not turn to our wickedness, do not conceal Your countenance from us, and do not disregard our supplications. Be near to our cry; let Your lovingkindness console us; answer us even before we call to You, as it is said:

Heal us, O Lord, and we will be healed; help us and we will be saved; for You are our praise. Grant complete cure and healing to all our wounds; for You, Almighty King, are a faithful and merciful healer. Blessed are You Lord, who heals the sick of His people Israel.

We pray to be healed and to be redeemed. The ancient Hebrew word for redemption is ga'own. In scripture it is used most often in Isaiah. But there it most often refers to God's majesty and splendor or human pride and arrogance. To be redeemed is to trade our pride for God's splendor.

In these days -- in every day? -- we are preparing ourselves for atonement. Yom Kippur is the high festival of atonement.

Strangely, as least for me, kippur is derived from kaphar, which means to cover over, especially to cover over with pitch. Think of a tar baby. But it came to mean what we now think of as being forgiven.

Moreover, through sacrifice the priest makes kaphar and thereby receives kaphar, as in the following passage:

'Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the LORD. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven. "(Leviticus 4:31)

Dear God, in the week ahead help me to learn your way of atonement. Amen