Yom Kippur
Uniquely Jewish
Yom Kippur is the most uniquely Jewish day of the calendar year. By this I
mean that all of our other wonderful holidays have been copied, adapted
and sometimes just plain co-opted by other faiths. New Year, freedom
festivals, Pentecost, Easter, Mardi Gras, etc. are all well known in other
faiths and celebrated in secular society as well. But a day of holiness,
of abstinence, of spirituality, of communion with one’s self and one’s
Creator, wholly devoted to lofty ideas and the realm of the spirit is to
my knowledge unknown outside of Judaism.
Even though the Torah calls the prohibitions imposed upon us by the day of
Yom Kippur, such as fasting, not washing, etc., as being “afflictions,”
Rambam changes the whole tone of the matter in his wondrous work “Mishneh
Torah.” There he entitles the section on Yom Kippur as being “Shevitat
Assor” – the great day of rest that occurs on the tenth day of Tishrei. It
is not so much that we are “afflicted” on the day of Yom Kippur as we are
at rest for a day from all worldly needs such as eating, washing, etc.
Yom Kippur is not a day of pain and sadness, which are the hallmarks of
Tisha B’av, but rather a day of serenity and inner yearning for the better
part of us to assert itself. One of the great lessons of Yom Kippur is
that inner serenity is achievable only by a degree of separation from the
worldly pursuits that press constantly upon us. To truly live well in this
world, one must always distance one’s self, no matter how slightly, from
that very same world.
Another powerful but really very obvious lesson of Yom Kippur is the
blessed consequences of the ability to repent and forgive. All of this is
easier said than done. Personal hurts done to us by others leave deep and
painful scars. So forgiveness, in the truest sense of the word, becomes
painful and emotionally wrenching. Nevertheless, forgiving others is
really the chief means at our disposal of cleansing our souls and our
inner selves. It removes the corroding bitterness that changes for the
worse our personalities and nature.
Brooding over past hurts only intensifies the pain that those hurts
originally caused. Forgiveness allows one to move on in life and not dwell
on past events and constantly relive pain and embarrassment. We are not “a
turn the other cheek” people and there are certainly circumstances that do
not warrant forgiveness. But in the main, forgiveness is a positive step
in helping build our spiritual self and in ennobling our character.
Repentance is also a difficult concept to actualize. To say that “I was
wrong” or that “I am truly sorry” are difficult words to get out of our
mouths. And, paradoxically enough, these words are far easier to say to
God, so to speak, than they are to a fellow human being. In fact, the
closer we are to the person – a relative, a friend, partner, business
associate, employer, employee – who was wronged by our words or deeds, the
more difficult the apology becomes. Yet, God’s forgiveness of us, so to
speak, hinges upon our ability to forgive others as well.
A person who is unforgiving and overly exacting in interpersonal
relationships will be treated by Heaven in the same fashion. So Yom Kippur
demands of us contriteness, a lowering of ego and a serenity of spirit
that can encompass all around us as well.
Shabbat Shalom, Gmar Chatima Tova and an easy, restful and spiritually
uplifting Yom Kippur.
Rabbi Berel Wein
Rabbi Berel Wein- Jewish historian, author and international lecturer offers a complete selection of CDs, audio tapes, video tapes, DVDs, and books on Jewish history at www.rabbiwein.com
Text Copyright © 2007 by Rabbi Berel Wein and Torah.org
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