Inspirational Thoughts for the Holy Day
Rabbi Aryeh Citron
Parsha Halacha
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Inspirational Thoughts for the Holy Day
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Collected here are various tidbits of inspirational teachings that relate to Yom Kippur
Why is the Name Hidden?
When describing the service of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur in the Torah portion of Acharei Mot,[1] the Torah doesn’t mention the actual date of this service until the very end of the chapter.[2] This contrasts with a later section regarding the Holidays, in the Torah portion of Emor, where the dates are given before each respective holiday is discussed.[3] The reason for this difference is that the holiness of Yom Kippur is from a “hidden world” that is beyond time. It therefor has the power to both correct the past and give strength for the future
It is noteworthy that the name of the Tractate in Mishna which discusses Yom Kippur is called Yoma (“the day”) as opposed to “Yom Kippur.” This is in contrast to Tractates Rosh HaShana, Sukkah, and Pesachim which all explicitly state the Yom Tov that they discuss. This alludes to the fact that the holiness of this day is so intense, that even its name is hidden.
It is also interesting to note that traditionally, when referring to Yom Kippur in conversation, people would use the term “Yom HaKadosh “– the Holy Day, as opposed to Yom Kippur.[4]
The First Yom Kippur
It is well known that Yom Kippur was the day Moshe came down from Mt. Sinai with the second set of Luchot (tablets). In fact, Yom Kippur has been special ever since the first year of creation.
When Adam and Chava sinned in the Garden of Eden it was the first of Tishrei (i.e. the date of the 1st day of Rosh Hashana). They were expelled from the Garden on the 3rd of Tishrei - after Shabbat. We find that after being snubbed by G-d, one may not attain their former status for at least seven days.[5] Thus Adam and Eve’s teshuvah was only accepted by G-d on the 10th of Tishrei – the date of Yom Kippur.[6]
Eating on Erev Yom Kippur
It is a mitzvah to eat on Erev Yom Kippur. The simple reason is that out of G-d’s love for us, He wanted to minimize the pain of our fasting so he instructed us to eat extra food on the day before the fast.
A few additional explanations:
· When a person eats on Erev Yom Kippur, all of the energy of that food is elevated to an Angelic plane Yom Kippur when every Jew becomes like an angel on Yom Kippur. This concept of transforming the mundane into the holy is similar to the concept of adding to Shabbat from a weekday.[7]
· According to our sages, fasting is similar to sacrificing an animal on the Holy Altar. Instead of the animal’s fats and blood, one minimizes their own fat and blood through fasting. By eating a large quantity on Erev Yom Kippur one is actually fattening the sacrifice he will bring to G-d on the next day – one’s own body fat.[8]
The Secret of the Shoes
Here are several deeper reasons as to why we don’t wear leather shoes on Yom Kippur:
· A leather shoe represents the snakeskin i.e., the side of the negative forces. The holiness of Yom Kippur is so great that there is no room for this negative energy.[9]
· When Adam sinned, the earth was cursed. It is therefore best to walk with a separation between one’s feet and the earth. Whereas if one walks on Holy ground e.g. the Kohanim in the Bait HaMikdash, Moshe Rabeinu at the burning bush, one should walk barefoot. This symbolizes that the ground is holy and one need not separate ones feet from it. Similarly, on Yom Kippur the entire earth is elevated to a holy plane. We express this by not wearing leather shoes and rather (nearly) walking on the ground.[10]
Praying with the Sinners
We begin the Yom Kippur services by permitting and inviting the sinners to join in the davening. This is significant because the Talmud says that any fast that does not include the sinners of Israel is not a fast. When sinners come back and do Teshuva (repenteance), G-d’s name is sanctified and elevated. If, however, the righteous people do not work on bringing back the sinners, G-d does not hear their prayers either. This is because every Jew is responsible for every other Jew.[11]
For the Sin of Confessing
On Yom Kippur we say: “On the sin we have sinned with the confession of the mouth.” The Benei Yissachar asks: Isn’t confessing one’s sin a mitzvah? Why need we confess that we did a mitzvah?
He explains that the correct way to confess is in the context of a sincere Teshuvah. One should recognize the greatness of the One against whom he sinned, be greatly embarrassed and regretful to the extent that the Knower of Secrets can testify that he will not repeat the sin, and then confess and ask the Almighty for forgiveness with trembling and awe. Such a confession is a mitzvah. If, on the other hand, one confesses in a superficial manner, he is wasting the precious opportunity that G-d gave him for Teshuvah. One must therefore confess for having done confession properly.[12]
The Joy of the Shofar
One of the reasons that we blow the Shofar after Yom Kippur is to symbolize that just as we rejoice on the sealing of our judgment in a positive way, so too the shofar “rejoices” with us. The shofar is like our defense lawyer. When a person wins a court case his defense lawyer rejoices with him.[13]
A Preexisting Flame
After Yom Kippur one must make havdalah on a fire that was lit before Yom Kippur.[14] One of the explanations for this is that fire represents Gevurah - Divine restraint. This is the spiritual source of the non holy aspects of the world. After Shabbat we make a blessing on fire to symbolize that we wish that our portion should be with the Creator of fire – Hashem himself, and not with the fire itself – the mundane. Yom Kippur is the one day a year that Satan has no power. The world as a whole is elevated by this holy day (see above re not wearing leather shoes). We therefore wish that the mundane aspects of the world should continue to be subjugated to the side of Holiness as they were during Yom Kippur. This is symbolized by using a fire that “experienced” Yom Kippur.
The Kohen Gadol’s Feast
Maimonides describes what the Kohen Gadol would do when he finished the Avodah (Divine service) on Yom Kippur:
“He offers the afternoon incense offering and kindles the lamps of the Menorah for the evening as on other days. He then sanctifies his hands and feet, removes his golden garments, puts on his own clothes and goes home. All of the people accompany him to his home. He would make a festive celebration because he departed from the holy place in peace.”[15]
Although the feast was to celebrate the Kohen Gadol’s having safely completed his work, it was a feast in which all would participate. This was because the Kohen Gadol was the agent of Klal Yisrael (The Jewish people).[16]
The significance of the Kohen Gadol’s returning straight home after completing the Avodah of Yom Kippur was threefold:
· Since the Kohen Gadol began his Yom Kippur preparations by leaving his home (for seven days), it was appropriate for him to return to that home when Yom Kippur was over.
· The Kohen Gadol’s return to his wife and private residence symbolizes that Yom Kippur is not just an atonement day for the Jewish people as a whole but it is also a day of atonement (contingent on teshuvah) for each individual Jew.
· The sign that the Kohen Gadol reached a truly high spiritual level is when he comes home and retains his holiness in his home and in his mundane affairs. [17]
Wishing you a Gmar Chatimah Tova and a good blessed year, Aryeh Citron
[1] Levit. 17
[2] Verse 29
[4] Benei Yissachar Mamarei Chodes Tishrei, Mamar 8, Kedushat HaChag, 2
[5] See Deut. 12, 14
[6] Ta’amei HaMinhagim, page 332
[7] Ibid, 328 in the name of the Yismach Moshe
[8] Ibid
[9] Ibid, 332 Since the negative forces associated with leather shoes were what brought death and destruction to the world, it is also inappropriate to wear them on Tisha Be’Av (the day of destruction) or when mourning for a death.
[10] Ibid 331 Tisha Be’Av is the birthday of Moshiach who will similarly elevate the world to this a state of holiness. We commemorate this on Tisha Be’Av by not wearing (leather) shoes.
[11] Ibid, 333
[12] Benei Yissachar, Mamar 7, 9
[13] Ta’amei HaMinhagim, page 341
[14] See Shulchan Aruch HaRav 624, 5
[15] Laws of Avodat Yom HaKippurim, 4, 2
[16] See the story in Yoma 71b: The people were once escorting the Kohen Gadol home after Yom Kippur. When they saw Shmaya and Avtalyon, the leaders of the Sanhedrin at that time, they left the Kohen Gadol and escorted Shmaya and Avtalyon instead. When Shmaya and Avtalyon took leave of the Kohen Gadol, he referred to them derogatorily as descendants of the nations (a reference to their non-Jewish ancestry). They, in turn rebuked him for not following in the peace loving steps of his ancestor, Aharon Ha'Kohen.
Although the Kohen Gadol’s comments were inappropriate, his disappointment with the people for failing to escort him was not misplaced. For, in fact, this was their duty (Likutei Sichot quoted below).
But see Maharsha on (Yoma ibid) that the people followed Shmaya and Avtalyon who were Torah scholars, as opposed to the Kohen Gadol who was not learned. This is in keeping with the law that a Torah scholar that is a non Kohen precedes (in terms of respect) a Kohen Gadol who is unlearned.
See also Ritva on ibid that the Kohen Gadol did not mean to insult Shmaya and Avtalyon although his choice of words was unwise.
[17] Likutei Sichot, 32, pgs. 106 - 111