Shalom Rabbi Davis
Is this statement correct. Only the blood of a “sinless lamb” could remove sin in man. The sacrifices of the Old covenant only covered sin.
YHVH required a “perfect” lamb, no blemishes or physical deformities. The following verses although not the only verses addressing this subject are demonstrable of this commandment:
Lev 22:21 And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.
Lev 22:22 Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD.
Lev 22:23 Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.
Lev 22:24 Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land. (KJV)This concept of “perfect” is typical of the doctrine that we must be without sin to be acceptable to YHVH Elohim. Yahshua (1 Pet 1:19 But with the precious blood of Messiah, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:] was perfect in that He lived Torah to the fullest and was without sin, therefore He was an acceptable sacrifice to atone for the PAST sin (Rom 3:25, 2 Peter 1:9) of all those that place their trust in His faithfulness. Note our putting our trust in Yahshua’s faithfulness reconciles us to G-d, but then we must be obedient to Him and follow His standards, the Torah. If we stumble, we must sincerely repent to be reconciled to Him. It was the same in the Tanakh (Old Testament).
The sacrifices in the Temple were for different things. Sin, consecration, thanksgiving, etc.,. Go the “Teachings” area on the index page of the site, and select it. From the menu page select “Tabernacle and Sacrifices Class” and you see what al; the sacrifices and offerings represented to us as Believers.
Now to address the first part of your question. Only the “perfect” sacrifice, lamb. bull etc. could remove sin from the individual who offered it. The Hebrew word in Scripture for both Yahshua and the animal sacrifices is “kippur” meaning “covering.” The difference is that Israel had to do this once a year to remove sin from themselves while Yahshua has done it once and for all for all peoples who place their trust in Him. However, again Scripture teaches it is for past sins. The doctrine of original sin enters here. All humanity needs atonement because we are all guilty by virtue of Adam’s sin as corporate head of humanity. Even if we were capable of living a perfectly acceptable Torah Observant life, we are still tainted by the original sin of Adam. That is why Yahshua had to be born of a Virgin. As corporate head of humankind, the sin nature is passed through the male to the children. YHVH eliminated that curse by having Yahshua born of a Virgin and the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). Yahshua had the same opportunities to succeed as Adam who also was not born with the sin curse, but failed.
You referred to “Old covenant.” I find that there is a lot of confusion regarding the “old” and “new” covenantsm, so I will be posting a paper tonight on this subject. Should be available tomorrow. It is titled “No covenant for the Gentile Church.” Too many believe that Israel has been replaced by the church, and the church has inherited the blessings and promises of Israel as in “Church Replacement Theology.” Please read it. I will post it in the area of “Teachings” found on the index page.
I pray this had helped.