Why does Les say Yom Kippur is a better name than the Day of Atonement?
Yom Kippur is a better name because “Atonement” is really a misnomer in Leviticus. The English translators should not have called it the Day of Atonement, since no atonement occurred: animal blood could not take away sin, which is what atonement speaks of. Atonement can be defined as at-one-ment.
Les teaches that the Day of Atonement is first seen in Leviticus 16, beginning shortly after Israel came out of Egypt, like the other Feast Days such as Passover, First Fruits, and Unleavened Bread. Passover was the spring feast, a memorial of the night in Egypt when the death angel passed over and the blood protected them. Atonement was in the Fall, and its present English name is Yom Kippur. Les explains that Yom Kippur is a far better definition or explanation than Atonement because, in Leviticus, “Atonement” is a misnomer. The English translators should not have called it the Day of Atonement, since there was no atonement; animal blood could not take away sin, and that is what atonement speaks of. He notes the word can be split into three sections—At-one-ment—which is a good definition.