A Popular Dictionary of Judaism
The Ancient Israelites believed that by making *sacrifice, God’s forgiveness could be obtained. However the Biblical *prophets constantly emphasized that it was necessary to make full restitution for wrongdoing; there must be full *repentance and this repentance must be accompanied by a complete change of heart (eg. *Jeremiah 4). Nonetheless the Israelites could feel confident of God’s forgiveness because God is a loving God and he longs to have a fatherly relationship with his people (eg.
*Hosea 11). After the destruction of the *Temple in *Jerusalem in 70CE, there were no more sacrifices. Instead God’s forgiveness could be found through *prayer and *fasting. Yet it was still necessary to receive forgiveness from the injured party as well as from God which is why it is customary to ask forgiveness from those who have been wronged before the Day of Atonement. (See *YOM KIPPUR).
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