the light of Erev Yom haKippurim 5781 | אור ערב יום הכיפורים ה"תשפ"ב
Yom Kippur – An Out of Body Experience!
by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher
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The last Mishna in Taanit states, “There is no more joyous festival
for Israel than Yom Kippur.” Yet, Yom Kippur is also the most solemn
day of the Jewish year; and it is also the strangest day because it
seems to negate all that makes us human. For that one day we step out of
ourselves and have an Out of Body Experience. We are no longer part of
this world as we know it. Denying our bodies the physical pleasure of
food and drink, marital relations, bathing, anointing, and wearing
leather shoes, we act as if the normal impulses that make us human no
longer exist. It is as if we have slipped out of physical life into
immortality. On Yom Kippur we become virtual angels.
This is what the Rabbis were telling us by explaining why Yom
Kippur is the only time when we recite aloud, “Boruch Shem Kevod
Malchuto L'Olam Vaed” in the recitation of the Shema. Where did “Boruch
Shem Kevod Malchuto…” originate?
When Moshe went up to Heaven to receive the Torah, he overheard the
angels praising G-d with these words. When he returned to earth, he
instructed the Jews concerning all the Mitzvot that he had received, and
he also taught them this sentence of praise. But Moshe said to the
Jews, “All the Torah and Mitzvot I have given you, I received openly and
directly from G-d; but this verse is something that I overheard the
angels say when they praise G-d. I stole it from the angels; therefore,
say it in a whisper.”
The Midrash in Devarim Rabba continues, “It may be likened to
someone who stole a diamond and gave it to his daughter. The thief tells
his daughter, ‘All that I have given you, you may wear in public except
this stolen diamond. Wear it only indoors.’” The Midrash then
continues, “Why is Boruch Shem Kevod said aloud on Yom Kippur? Because
then we are like angels, and we have nothing to hide on that day.”
The rest of the year we are not angels — far from it. We have human
needs and desires. We have impulses that lead us to sin and
transgression as well as the ability to channel these impulses through
Torah and Mitzvot. We all sin in word, thought and deed. We are indeed
human. The beauty of Judaism is that it recognizes our physical and
material needs and our impulses and desires. Judaism does not seek to
deny them, but rather to regulate, channel and control them.
Judaism is not about self-denial. The denial of the body is not
praised or required. The pleasure of eating and drinking is a Mitzvah -
for example Shabbat and Yom Tov feasts and the Seudat Mitzvah which is
obligatory for a Bris, Bar Mitzvah, Wedding or Siyum of a Tractate. The
act of eating and drinking is also controlled and regulated by the
Halachot of Kashrut. Physical desires are considered normal and
positive; but they, too, are controlled and regulated by the Halachot of
marriage and family purity laws.
So too is the desire for wealth. We are not commanded to live lives
of poverty; but we must share what we have with the poor and needy
through the acts of Tzedakah and to acquire our wealth honestly. We know
that we are not without sin, and for this reason G-d gave us this most
precious gift of Teshuva on Yom Kippur.
On Yom Kippur, we are given a taste of eternity, an experience of
something other-worldly. We are like the angels, or as close to it as
human beings can get. When all of our physical needs and desires are
denied, we have a day when we can concentrate solely on spiritual
matters. Yom Kippur is the day of the soul.
The Torah states in Vayikra 23, “On Yom Kippur V'INITEM ET
NAFSHOTECHEM.” This is usually translated as, “You shall afflict your
souls.” However, RAMCHAL points out that on Yom Kippur our souls are not
afflicted, only our bodies are afflicted. Therefore the word, V'INITEM,
is related to the word in Devarim 26 concerning the Mitzvah of Bikurim
(the first fruits) ‘V'ANITA…’ when you bring the first fruits to the
Holy Temple. Abarbanel states that the word, V'ANITA, in that verse
means that the farmer has to sing to G-d when he brings his Bikurim.
Thus, in the context of Yom Kippur, the phrase ‘V'INITEM ET
NAFSHOTECHEM’ can also mean, “You shall allow your souls to sing.” You
shall free your soul of all its bodily needs and desires and dedicate
Yom Kippur to your soul and to G-d.
Within the comforting, loving embrace of G-d Who forgives us on Yom
Kippur, our bodily needs become superfluous, as our souls take over our
bodies, singing to G-d. Yom Kippur is a unique opportunity for every
Jew to receive a new beginning in life, a second chance. That's why the
Talmud in Taanit tells us that G-d gave us the Second Luchot (Tablets)
on Yom Kippur, symbolizing that G-d always gives us a second chance.
On Yom Kippur the day belongs to the soul as our physical needs are
eliminated. The soul, freed of its physical bonds, can now soar,
ascending to the highest level of Kedusha, where it can express its
deepest feeling and emotion. On Yom Kippur we become like angels,
devoting ourselves exclusively to singing the praises of G-d.
At the closing of Yom Kippur, we experience an incredible inner joy
when we move beyond consciousness of hunger into a feeling of relief
and renewed strength. Yom Kippur ends with that magnificent Shofar blast
— the Shofar that once proclaimed liberty for all the Hebrew slaves on
the Yom Kippur of the Yovel year.
That Shofar blast now also proclaims liberty from sin for all of us
and freedom from all that enslaves the mind and the body. This Shofar
blast symbolizes the ability of a Jew to rise above material and
physical desires, freeing the soul to unite and bond with G-d.
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May you have a good signing, with all the people of Israel | במר חתימה טובה, בתוך שאר כל עם ישראל
