Yom Kippur - Accepting Suffering with Love

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

העלון ניתן לקבל בדואר אלקטרוני  וגם באתר  http://dyschreiber.blogspot.com

Key points האזינו HaAzinu

זכור ימות עולם  remember the days of old

כנשר יאיר קנו  like an eagle hovers over its nest

יזבחו לשדים  they sacrificed to demons

אי אלהימו  where is their God?

כי דם-עבדיו יקום  for the blood of his servants will arise

כי לא דבר רק הוא  for it is not an empty thing

Fast of Gedaliah - Respecting the Word of G-d

בס"ד

The prophets frequently complain that the people of Israel despise (מָאַס) the Torah and the word of G-d. Despise has a number of meanings such as loathe, to hold in contempt and reject. It also often has the connotation of weakness. In this case it would mean that one need not obey the Torah because there will be no consequences for transgressing on its precepts. The word of G-d refers to the messages that G-d gives a prophet to deliver.  

This is an essential theme in the Fast of Gedaliah. After Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the first Temple, most all of the Jews were exiled into Babylon. However a small number of people, generally low in stature were allowed to remain and Gedaliah ben Ahiqam was appointed as their governor. Sadly he was assassinated by another Jew. The Jews than asked the prophet Jeremiah to pray for them and to inquire of Hashem what to do as they feared greatly a reprisal from the Babylonians. 

Jeremiah did so and received a prophecy from G-d. The people were to stay in the land of Israel. There G-d would build them up, protect them, not punish them for past sins, and generally show them mercy. They are explicitly told not to go to Egypt particularly with the belief that there they would be safe from war and hunger and warned that if they do so the things that they are trying to avoid will overtake them and much worse. The reaction of the people is to accuse Jeremiah of lying to them and to flee to Egypt. The result is that horrible things happen to them and the land of Israel is completely empty of Jews. 

This is the reason for the fast. It also helps explain why there are no prophets today. What is this like? If a person consults an expert as to the proper approach and gets a reasonable answer, he should follow the advice. If he doesn't, the expert is within his rights to be unhappy with such a person. So too, if a prophet is asked for the word of G-d, it must be respected. The word respect in Hebrew יִרָא also means fear. The idea is that full respect includes some concern for consequences. If a person holds that the Torah may have beautiful ideas and great advice but it can be set aside without concern, there is an aspect of holding it in contempt. One of the principles of religious faith is to believe that the Torah is the revealed will of G-d and that He punishes people who do not keep it and rewards those that do.

לע"נ  האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח

העלון ניתן לקבל בדואר אלקטרוני  וגם באתר  http://dyschreiber.blogspot.com