Achim Newsletter
Yom Kippur
Thursday September 16, 2010
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Greetings!
I wish you an easy fast this Yom Kippur. May HaShem grant us atonement this Yom Kippur that will manifest itself in a year of much happiness and good health for us and the entire people of Israel.
Yom Kippur times:
Candle lighting 6:54 pm
The fast begins once you light candles
Fast concludes 8:00 pm
The schedule for our Yom Kippur service.
I would like to inform you of an employment opportunity that just passed my desk. Please look at - perhaps you will know someone who could use it. (Couldn't we all use another mitzvah before Yom Kippur.) Vsego khoroshego,
Paysach Diskind
p.s.reminder this Sunday engagement party for Eugene Bomar and Tatyana Vishevnik
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to print this as a web page click here
The anatomy of a sin
Yom Kippur is that day of the year on which we focus on the
sins that we have committed. The reason for this focus is because Yom Kippur is
the day about which the Torah tells us "For on this day HaShem will grant you
atonement in order to cleanse you from all your sins..." Over the course of Yom
Kippur we will recite a list of confessions quietly as well as aloud 10 times.
This recitation is a critical component in the atonement process that HaShem
grants us.
On a simple level we might draw the analogy to a dry cleaner
who cleans all the stains on your suit provided that you point them out at the
time you bring your suit to the shop. If you fail to point out a stain he will
overlook it and it will not be cleaned. Using this parallel we can appreciate
the need to focus on our sins and articulate them; if we want the Cleaner to
wash them out we must point them out to him on Yom Kippur.
But why can't HaShem be like other dry cleaners? Why can't
all the stains be washed out without our pointing them out, or at least most of
the stains?
The answer is obvious if only we place sin in its proper
perspective. I would like to suggest that we view our relationship with HaShem in
quite the same way we view our relationship with our best friend, perhaps our
spouse, a parent or some other very close friend. For the sake of making our
parallel as close as possible I ask you to identify a friend to whom you are
most indebted for all the care, concern and love they provide you. This person
has expectations from you. Their expectations are the consequence of their
care, concern and love for you. They know that you can become great and famous
if you will apply yourself to your studies. If the failure to meet those
expectations is due in part by your negligence and laziness then you have hurt
your relationship with this friend.
The reflection of this analogy with HaShem as our friend
gives us insight to understanding the anatomy of sin and why HaShem is really
not a dry cleaner.
There is no greater provider to me than HaShem. Although my
parents gave me life, nevertheless, once I was born life was mine. It is true
that as long as my mother nursed me and cared for me she too provided for me,
nevertheless, HaShem ensured that my digestive system accepts and digested that
milk. He also ensured that my nervous system and cardio-vascular system operate
as well. As with the friend, HaShem too, has expectations for me; expectations
that will bring out the best in me.
Let us now explore the consequences that result from my
failing to meet those expectations. We will discover three consequences that result
from my sin, from my negligence.
The first consequence results from the mere fact that I
disobeyed HaShem's mitzvah. Disobedience itself is culpable. Can I disobey
HaShem who cares for me and who clearly has authority over me without being
culpable?!
The second consequence is that my failure to meet His
expectation causes a breakdown in our friendship. How can I expect HaShem to
feel the same love towards me when I blatantly disobeyed Him?!
The third consequence is the natural consequence of the sin
itself. If I was negligent in studying for the exam the natural consequence is
that I will flunk the exam. When one transgresses a mitzvah of the Torah a
negative force is created which seeks to wreak havoc on the life of the
transgressor.
In short, the three consequences of sin are 1) the
punishment due for disobeying the authority of HaShem, 2) the breakdown in the relationship
of our friendship with HaShem and finally 3) the natural consequential result
of transgressing the mitzvah itself.
On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, HaShem corrects all
three aspects. 1) On Yom Kippur HaShem pardons us from the punishment due for
the disobedience. 2) On Yom Kippur HaShem brings us back to His good graces. 3)
On Yom Kippur HaShem actually wipes away the consequential results of the sin
itself.
Using our analogy of the friend I believe that we can no
longer dare suggest that HaShem should be our dry cleaner and clean all our stains
indiscriminately. To the contrary, we must be awestruck at HaShem's outstanding
generosity to grant us any atonement. It is evident that so long as I do not
acknowledge my wrongdoing - there is no possibility for HaShem to grant me
atonement. If I do not regret disobeying HaShem's instruction can I expect Him
to pardon my disobedience? If I do not regret hurting my relationship with my
friend can I expect my friend to forgive me? If I would feel no remorse for committing
the sin can I expect Him to wipe away those natural consequences resulting from
my sin?
Therefore, as we approach Yom Kippur we must take stock of
the sins that we are interested in removing from us. We must regret having done
them. We must feel horrible for disappointing HaShem by failing to live up to
His expectation for us. We must devise a plan by which we can insure that these
sins will be avoided this coming year. Lastly, we must articulate in words what
those sins are; we must point out which stains we are requesting to be cleaned.
Finally, we must approach this most holy day with joy and
perhaps even excitement that HaShem, our dearest most trusted friend, never
turns His back on us. No matter the amount or the type of disobedience we
display He waits for us to come back and apologize. He longs for us to come
back and apologize so that He can once again take us into His protective and
loving embrace.
Have a successful Yom Kippur and wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind
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Noteworthy links
Yom Kippur Service From Kol Nidre throught Shofar blowing
Parsha Summary and other delights by Rabbi Osher Baddiel in English and Russian
Penetrating Russian insight to the Parsha by Shvut Ami
Programs from which you and others can learn and grow
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Хасидская притча
Говорил раби Зуся из Аниполя: -Скажешь: У Зуси нет денег,- правда
твоя.
Скажешь: Зусе не хватает денег,- ложь.
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