Jun 7, 2026

Life > Death

Season 2 Episode 26 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast

The priests are the burden-bearers for the family of Abraham, taking on their shoulders the responsibility to clean up the mess that they have caused (and will cause) in God’s house. But how do they go about cleaning up this mess? And why is it such a bloody process?

This week, we take a look at what “atonement” means, and the role that blood plays (and doesn’t play) in atonement. We will examine the English and Hebrew word(s), and will look at what they can tell us about cleansing, consecration, and reconciliation. We will ponder the “reset button” nature of the Day of Atonement, and will look at the distinct role of the two goats in that ritual – one of whom is also a “burden-bearer.” We will explore the meaning of blood within the ritual, and consider if blood is necessary to make atonement. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to fully absorb the knowledge that life stuff defeats death stuff, and what this tells us about the heart of Adonai.

I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod

SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES

https://www.jtsa.edu/torah/sin-ritual-pollution-and-divine-alienation/

https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-leviticus/

https://eitan.bar/articles/life-is-in-the-blood-leviticus-1711/

https://etsjets.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/files_JETS-PDFs_4_4-1_BETS_4-1_3_Harris.pdf

https://tr-pdf.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/articles/meaning-of-kafar-to-make-atonement.pdf

https://www.theoikonomist.com/?p=1626

https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/items/b4dbfb7f-2a3f-472f-9889-199b16bcb4a4

https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/the-sacrifice-of-praise-and-animal-sacrifice/

https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1078&context=rel

https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/azazel-and-the-scapegoat

https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/1846869/jewish/The-Scapegoat-Atonement-and-Purification.htm

SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW LINKS

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcTTqZUGfMLliJCJim?si=07515a488206497d

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trauma-informed-church-kid/id1760390486