Once a year on the tenth day of the seventh month, called the “Day of Atonement” (Lev. 23:27–28; 25:9), it is necessary for the high priest to purge the sanctuary of the evils that have reached it and accumulated there throughout the year. These evils consist of severe physical ritual impurities, expiable “sins,” and rebellious “transgressions” (16:16). The impurities and expiable sins affect the entire sanctuary when purification offerings that remove these evils from their offerers contact parts of the sanctuary. (See Lev. 6:27 and commentary on 6:8–7:38.) Notice the “part for all” principle here, which also explains how blood on one part of an altar can affect the whole altar (cf. Lev. 8:15; Exod. 30:10), how daubing blood and oil on extremities can affect whole persons (Lev. 8:23–24; …