The New Covenant was given to Israel first and is intended for everyone who comes to God through that Covenant which was instigated by Jesus' sacrifice, see Isaiah 53.
The Jews in Alexandria did the whole Old Testament there may have been other Jews that only did Moses' books, but the New Testament is taken from the version that was done in Alexandria, and they translated Almah as virgin.
Blood is the only means of atonement. God said the blood make atonement for the soul and He never changed that provision. Anyone who was forgiven under the Old Covenant was based on the future sacrifice of the Messiah. They did not go to heaven. According to the Jews and Jesus confirms this in His parables, righteous people who died went to paradise which was a separate place apartfrom hell, not God's domain. After Jesus died He went there and gave them the gospel and their souls were released. No one can be saved without sacrifice as illustrated for us in Eden. If we could be saved by keeping the law, then God would never have had to give Moses the tabernacle where the sacrifice were made. Again, they were only intended to be a foreshadow of Jesus' sacrifice.
Jesus died taking our sins upon Himself. He never sinned. If God touched a dead body would He be defiled? Of course not and neither would the Son of God who had God's life in Himself (John 5:26).