Atonement Without the Kohen Gadol
Question
Hello. What do rishonim and even Chazal say about the halachic matter of kapara without the activity of the Kohen Gadol in the Beis Hamikdash on Yom Kippur? I am aware of the general concept of prayers replacing sacrifices, but specifically, what is the effect of not having the kapara through the avoda of the Kohen Gadol? Do we have anything in the Oral Law that indicates the alternative (as we do in the matter of the calendar through cheshbon instead of testimony)? Thank you.
Answers
There is nothing that I am aware of that addresses your question exactly. However, it is not just prayer on Yom Kippur that is the cause of our atonement but it is Teshuvah as well. In fact, Teshuvah is the main ingredient which is why so many of the prayers on Yom Kippur revolve around the concept of confession.
I would recommend that you take a look at the beginning of Hilchos Teshuvah of the Rambam where he explains the concept of Teshuvah and how it works as the means for atonement nowadays when there is no service of any type in the Beit Hamikdash.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team