בס"ד
Yom Kippur is the day we atone for our sins. The rabbis describe various types of sins and how they are forgiven. Some sins are forgiven as soon as a person ceases from doing something wrong. A bit more severe is that one must wait until Yom Kippur before they are forgiven. Sometimes a person must suffer. Really bad sins may not be forgiven until death. With all sins there may be retribution in the world to come.
It’s a mitzvah to fast on Yom Kippur because the pain of fasting is considered a purification for wrong doing. As such we bless G-d and thank him for giving us a day of atonement. In addition there is a concept of accepting suffering with love.
In yeshivas an amusing story is told to illustrate this idea. Once upon a time there was a good man who had led somewhat of a difficult life. However he had some bad habits and had taken a walk on the wild side or two. Yom Kippur, the day of judgement, was approaching and he wondered what his share in the world to come would be.
That night he had a dream. In it he was standing before the throne of judgement and the angels were discussing what his fate would be. To help them decide, a truck pulled into the heavenly court and started to unload the man’s good deeds. With each good deed it was revealed the good things that he had received in this lower world for them and even a larger reward in paradise. Next came a truck with his transgressions and with each of them he saw some sort of loss he had experienced or wart he had received in this world. Some of them cancelled out the good deeds he had done and others brought punishments in the next world. Little by little the scale of good began to tip to the other side. Next came a truck and on it were all the troubles he had endured during his lifetime. Each of the afflictions cleansed him on earth, restored a good deed or annulled some sort of punishment, and the scale started to swing back to the side of good. As the truck of torments was getting empty, the man became nervous and said, “just a little more aggravation”. He then woke up.
This is the gift of Yom Kippur. It inspires us to reflect on the good things we’ve done, our mistakes, and difficulties. In doing so a person receives a healthy outlook on life and optimism for the coming year.
לע"נ האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח
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