Is atonement possible without repentance?  Can the priestly order of service effect atonement without repentance?  The order of service enables an intimate meeting between God and the High Priest.  It is this meeting that invokes the Divine attribute of mercy, thus enabling atonement to occur.

The opening verses of this chapter discuss the order of service needed for the High Priest to enter the Holy of Holies, yet the end of the chapter connects this service also  to the means of achieving atonement on Yom Kippur.

The twofold meaning of the service can be seen not only from the beginning and end of this chapter, but also from the service itself.  The actual order serves two, intertwined purposes.

When the High Priest has a reason to enter into the Holy of Holies, he must perform the service.  However, a ritual order in itself is insufficient.  One cannot approach God merely by giving presents or carrying out a superficial ritual.  One approaches God in a state of physical and moral purity.  Atonement on behalf of the priest and the children of Israel is thus a prerequisite for entering the Holy of Holies.

On Yom Kippur the interaction between the different components is reversed.  The purpose of the order is atonement, yet this can only be achieved if the High Priest enters the Holy of Holies and stands before God. If the Divine attribute of judgment is applied, the sinners deserve to be judged and punished, each one in accordance with his sin.  The only way to wrest power away from judgement and escape it is to reach out to the source of judgment – to God.  Only God, who is the source of judgment may act out of mercy and dispense with judgment.  Mercy is evoked by a 'face-to-face' encounter.  When the relationship is a distant one, protocol requires rules and intermediaries.  However if one succeeds in meeting God 'face-to-face', one will have the power to break through all the boundaries of protocol.  'Face-to-face' creates intimacy and a unique relationship in which judgment does not play a role. In order to merit God's mercy, we have to stand before Him.  The High Priest entering the Holy of Holies on behalf of the people of Israel is the source of mercy on Yom Kippur.