How did the Yidden spend Yom Kippur in the times of the 2nd Beis Hamikdash?

They didn’t have IVs.

veHaKohanim veHo’om Hoyu Omdim bo’Azoro, so we do know what the people were doing:- They were standing in the Temple Courtyard.

They also felicitated the Kohen Godol when he emerged from the Avodo, unscathed.

Despite their fasting & the Bais haMikdosh not being air-conditioned, but the marble floors probably kept they Bais haMiokdosh fairly cool, indeed as the Mishno in Yumo alludes to with the Kohen Godol being fatigued & cold at nite, when young Kohanim flicked their fingers and read from book of Doniel etc.

When I read through the Avodah part of davening, it makes me wish I could see the actual Yom Kippur avodah in the Beis HaMikdash! To see the red thread changing color, and actually knowing without a doubt that our teshuva was accepted? Amazing! Imagine the simcha of the people when they saw the thread change color! As much as I davened, do I know that my teshuva was accepted? Can I really be sincere when I said I won’t do an aveirah again, knowing that within a few days after Yom Kippur, I probably will slip up again? We never know for sure. But back then, they did know!

There’s a whole tefillah about how radiant the Kohen Gadol appeared when he left the Kodesh HaKadashim. To actually see it in person would be amazing!

When Mashiach comes, we will merit to once again experience Yom Kippur as the Torah says it, explained in the Gemara, and laid out in detail in our tefillos. Let it be soon!

DaMoshe

Just because you slip up after yom kippur doesnt mean your Teshuva wasnt sincere and accepted by Hashem. We have a yetzer hora who works 24-7 to trip us up. In those times as well im sure many people slipped up a short time after yom kippur.

musser zoger: I believe it’s the Rambam who says there will be two parts to the times of Mashiach. In the first part, life will continue as it does today, with one big exception – it will be clear that Hashem is the only God, and everyone will accept that. We’ll have a Beis HaMikdash, and will do avodah, but there will still be a Yetzer HaRah, and we will (likely) still do aveiros. It will be comparable to the times of the 1st Beis HaMikdash (except with no other religions).

After this time comes Acharis HaYamim, which is when it says Hashem will slaughter the Yetzer HaRah and the Malach HaMaves. It seems that the time referenced in the davening is the 2nd time the Rambam mentions.

One last thing: I read something nice on Yom Kippur. There’s a collection of Divrei Torah that is printed up and given out in my shul every week. I enjoy reading most of it. It happens to contain a small piece from Avi Weiss most of the time, and I usually skip it. On Yom Kippur, someone told me to read it, as it has a nice story. I did read it, and enjoyed the story (although I didn’t necessarily agree with his message). Here’s the story:

One Yom Kippur a congregant of the father of the Hasidic movement Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov entered into the synagogue, prayed for several moments and left.

The rabbi was stunned. The congregant was well known in the community and had finished his prayers in such haste. “Why,” the rabbi asked him, “were you so quick?”

“I’ll tell you,” the man replied. “I felt that the prayer I offered connected to G-d. I sensed deep inside that G-d had heard my requests.”‘

“What did you say, “the Baal Shem Tov asked, “What did you say that made you believe G-d listened?”

“I admitted before the Holy One, blessed, be He, all my sins. I indicated that there were days that I missed prayer, and yes, as a butcher there were times I was not honest in measurements. Looking up to the Ark I said to G-d, “I’ll make a deal with you. If you forgive me, I’ll forgive you for all the pain that too often suffuses the world.”

The Baal Shem Tov looked at the man, embraced him and said. “Naarishe kind – foolish child, you had G-d by the coattails. You could have asked him to forgive the entire Jewish people, indeed the entire world.”