- Sections
- Peninei Halakha
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Yom Kippur
Motivated by His great love for the Jewish people, God took us out of Egypt, entered into an eternal covenant with us, and designated and sanctified a special day each year to atone for our sins. Thus, we read, "For on this day atonement shall be made for you to purify you of all your sins; you shall purify yourselves before the Lord" (Vayikra 16:30). The opportunity to achieve purity and atonement is a divine gift which has the power to effect change even retroactively. Without this gift, a person who regretted something that he had done would only be able to correct it from that point forward; he would not be able to undo anything in the past. Yet God, in His great mercy and kindness, established the Day of Atonement and the mitzva of repentance to allow us to actually erase previous sins, transgressions, and misdeeds. Thus R. Akiva proclaims, "Happy are you, Israel – for before whom do you purify yourselves and who purifies you? Your Father in heaven, as we read, ‘I will sprinkle pure water upon you, and you shall be pure’ (Yeĥezkel 36:25), and ‘God is the hope (mikveh) of Israel’ (Yirmiyahu 17:13). Just as a mikveh purifies the impure, so too God purifies Israel" (Yoma 85b).
During the rest of the year, there are barriers that block the revelation of God’s light in the world. However, on Yom Kippur the gates of heaven open, and a beam of divine light illuminates the roots of Jewish souls and purifies them. The elevated souls immerse themselves in this light as if it were a mikveh, and are purified of the stains caused by their sins.
Fundamentally, atonement is a gift from God and a reflection of His will. Thus, even if the Jews do not repent, Yom Kippur still reveals their inner goodness and cleanses the roots of their souls. However, in order to neutralize the effect of the remaining sins, suffering is necessary. This is the purpose of suffering in this world and the next. The more strongly people regret their sins and the closer they draw to God, the more thorough the cleansing of Yom Kippur is. Repentance that is comprehensive enough can even render suffering unnecessary.
This is reflected in the central berakha in the Yom Kippur Amida:
And You, Lord our God, have given us in love the Day of Atonement for pardon and forgiveness and atonement, to pardon all our iniquities, a holy assembly in memory of the exodus from Egypt. . . . Our God and God of our ancestors, pardon our iniquities on this Day of Atonement; wipe away and remove all our transgressions and sins from before Your eyes, as it is said: "I, I am the One who shall wipe out your transgressions for My sake, and I shall not recall your sins" (Yeshayahu 43:25). And it is said: "I have wiped out your transgressions like a cloud, and as a haze your sins; come back to Me, for I have redeemed you" (ibid. 44:22). And it is said: "For on this day you will be atoned and made pure; of all your sins before the Lord you shall be purified" (Vayikra 16:30). Make us holy through Your commandments and grant us our share in Your Torah. Satisfy us with Your goodness, grant us joy in Your salvation, and purify our hearts to serve You in truth. For You are the Forgiver of Israel and the Pardoner of the tribes of Yeshurun in every generation, and without You we have no king who pardons and forgives, none but You. Blessed are You, Lord, King Who pardons and forgives our iniquities and those of all His people the house of Israel, and makes our guilt pass away every single year, King of all the earth, who sanctifies Israel and the Day of Atonement.
2. Mitzvot of the Day
The special nature of Yom Kippur is expressed through the mitzvot of the day. Three of its mitzvot are shared by other holy days:
Making it a sacred occasion, by designating it for holy purposes and honoring it with nice clothes and a clean house. As we read, "The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a sacred occasion for you" (Vayikra 23:27). This is explained further in 7:1 below.
Abstaining from melakha, just as we abstain on Shabbat. As we read, "You shall do no work throughout that day. For it is a Day of Atonement, on which expiation is made on your behalf before the Lord you God. . . . And whoever does any work throughout that day, I will cause that person to perish from among his people. Do no work whatsoever; it is a law for all time, throughout the ages, in all your settlements" (ibid. 28-31). This is explained further in 7:2 below.
Offering musaf sacrifices, similar to other holidays and Rosh Ĥodesh. As we read, "You shall present to the Lord a burnt offering of pleasing odor: one bull of the herd, one ram, seven yearling lambs; see that they are without blemish. . . . And there shall be one goat for a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering of expiation and the regular burnt offering with its meal offering, each with its libation" (Bamidbar 29:8-11).
Additionally, three mitzvot are unique to Yom Kippur:
Fasting, as we read, "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a sacred occasion for you: you shall practice self-denial, and you shall bring an offering by fire to the Lord. . . . Indeed, any person who does not practice self-denial throughout that day shall be cut off from his kin. . . . It shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall practice self-denial; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall observe this your Sabbath" (Vayikra 23:26-32; also see Vayikra 16:29; Bamidbar 29:7).
Repenting and confessing our sins, as we read, "For on this day atonement shall be made for you to purify you of all your sins; you shall purify yourselves before the Lord" (Vayikra 16:30). The meaning of "You shall purify yourselves" is "You shall repent" (MT, Laws of Repentance 2:7; Sha’arei Teshuva 4:17).
Offering a special Yom Kippur set of sacrifices to atone for the Jews’ sins. At the height of the atonement process, the Kohen Gadol entered the Holy of Holies, where he offered incense and sprinkled blood from the sin offerings. The special offerings of Yom Kippur included: a bull as a sin offering, atoning for the Kohen Gadol and the other Kohanim; a ram as a burnt offering; and two goats as sin offerings, one for God and one for Azazel. The Kohen Gadol sprinkled blood from the bull and from the goat designated for God, first inside the Holy of Holies, and then on the parokhet and the golden altar. The goat of Azazel carried the sins of Israel to an appropriate place – the desert. (See Chapter 10 below.)
Nowadays, with the Temple laid waste, the Day of Atonement itself atones for Israel, together with fasting and repentance. To a certain extent, the prayers of the day, especially the Musaf prayers, take the place of the sacrifices (MT, Laws of Repentance 1:3; below 10:18).
3. The Atonement of Yom Kippur
In Biblical Hebrew, the Day of Atonement is called "Yom Ha-kippurim." (Colloquially, we refer to it as Yom Kippur.) The root of "kippurim," KhPR, has many meanings, all of which are relevant to Yom Kippur. First, "kappara" can indicate covering. This was the function of the kaporet, the curtain which covered the ark in the Temple. Similarly, atonement covers up sins. Second, "kappara" indicates an exchange (kofer). Sin, which originates with the power of impurity, is "exchanged" and returned to its place via the goat of Azazel. Third, "kappara" indicates wiping clean. Atonement wipes us clean of the foulness of sin. Fourth, "kappara" can indicate neutralizing. As Yaakov says, "I will wipe away (akhapra) his wrath" (Bereishit 32:21), meaning I will neutralize Esav’s anger by means of a gift (Rashi ad loc.). Fifth, "kappara" indicates appeasement. Neutralizing a sin can appease an injured party or heavenly prosecutor. (See Rashi, Mishlei 16:14.) Finally, "kappara" can connote fragrance, as one might understand the phrase "eshkol ha-kofer" (Shir Ha-shirim 1:14) to mean "a spray of fragrant blooms." So too, repentance out of love transforms intentional sins into merits, releasing a pleasant scent.
Commenting on the verse, "Days will be created, and one of them will be His" (Tehillim 139:16), our Sages suggest that "one of them" refers to Yom Kippur, which is unique (as "one" can indicate uniqueness). They continue: "For it is a happy time before God, the One Whose word brought the world into being, and Who gave it with great love to the Jewish people. This can be compared to a king of flesh and blood, whose servants and household members collected the palace garbage and threw it outside (thus removing it from the city). When the king saw the garbage, it made him very happy. Similarly, God gave Yom Kippur to the Jews out of love and with great joy. . . . When He forgives the sins of the Jews, He is not sad, but rather very happy. He tells the mountains and hills, the rivers and valleys: ‘Celebrate with Me! Let all rejoice, for I am forgiving Israel’s sins’" (Tanna de-vei Eliyahu Rabba 1).
Our Sages tell us that Yom Kippur’s special power is hinted at in the name of the prosecuting angel – ha-Satan. Its numerical equivalent is 364. For 364 days of the year, the prosecuting angel is permitted to block the divine light from connecting the Jews to God, and thus he is free to accuse the Jewish people. However, the year is made up of 365 days. Thus, there is one day a year on which the prosecuting angel is not permitted to function. This day is Yom Kippur, when the unimpeded divine light connects God to the root of the holiness of the Jewish people (Yoma 20a).
If God had not established a day of atonement and forgiveness, sins would accumulate year after year. Eventually, the build-up would leave the Jews and the whole world deserving of destruction. (See Sefer Ha-ĥinukh §185.)
The entire day of Yom Kippur atones. Therefore, even if someone dies during Yom Kippur, his sins are forgiven (Keritut 7a). However, the completion of the atonement happens at the end of Yom Kippur, when the fast reaches its peak and all the prayers and meditations of Yom Kippur reach a crescendo (y. Yoma 4:7). This accounts for the intensity of the Ne’ila prayer at the end of the fast.
4. Communal Atonement in Light of the Covenant
Yom Kippur is rooted in the covenant that God entered into with our ancestors Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. It was expressed through the covenant of circumcision, strengthened when God redeemed the Jews from Egypt, and sealed when God gave the Jews the Torah. The continued existence of the world depends on this covenant. Thus our Sages tell us, "God made a condition with the creation and said, ‘If the Jews accept the Torah, you will continue to exist; if not, I will return the world to chaos’" (Shabbat 88a). This is because the whole point of creation is for the Jews to reveal God’s word, as we read, "The people I formed for Myself that they might declare My praise" (Yeshayahu 43:21). Similarly we are told, "The heavens and the earth were created only in the merit of the Jews" (Vayikra Rabba 36:4).
This covenant was revealed to the Jews on Yom Kippur, when God granted them unqualified forgiveness for the sin of the Golden Calf. At that time, He renewed his covenant with the Jews. This was expressed by His giving them the second set of Tablets and commanding them to build the Mishkan so that His presence could dwell in their midst (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 46; Tanĥuma, Teruma §8 and Ki Tisa §31).
The covenant is not dependent upon the deeds of the Jews. Rather, it is linked to the unique soul with which God endowed the Jewish people, a soul which at its root longs to improve the world by revealing the divine light. This is the meaning of the verse, "For you are a people consecrated to the Lord your God; of all the peoples on earth, the Lord your God chose you to be His treasured people" (Devarim 7:6). Similarly we read, "For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel, as His treasured possession" (Tehillim 135:4). Therefore, no matter how much the Jews sin, the covenant will never be invalidated. As we read, "For the Lord will not forsake His people; He will not abandon His very own" (ibid. 94:14), and "For the sake of His great name, the Lord will never abandon His people, seeing that the Lord undertook to make you His people" (1 Shmuel 12:22).
Nevertheless, if the Jews sin they are punished with terrible suffering, and the more they sin the more terrible and severe the punishments are. This is in order to purify them and lead them to repent. But the Jews will never be able to abrogate the divine covenant. As we read, "And what you have in mind shall never come to pass – when you say, ‘We will be like the nations, like the families of the lands, worshiping wood and stone.’ As I live – declares the Lord God – I will reign over you with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm and overflowing fury. With a strong hand and an outstretched arm and overflowing fury I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples; and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. . . . I will make you pass under the shepherd’s staff, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant" (Yeĥezkel 20:32-27).
As a rule, the world is conducted with justice. At the time of the world’s creation, God decided that the world would be run in accordance with peoples’ actions. When they choose good, goodness is increased; when they choose evil, goodness is minimized and suffering increases. Based on this, it would seem that if sin were to increase beyond a certain point, it would destroy the world. Yom Kippur precludes this; the gates of heaven are opened, supernal divine rule is revealed, and the sins of Israel are forgiven at their roots. The world continues to exist and to progress toward its ultimate redemption. Nevertheless, the rule of justice is not abrogated. Any sin or iniquity which was not corrected through repentance is punished. If the sins are great and many, the punishments will be very hard to bear, but they will correct and purify the Jews. This is explained in the Torah, Nevi’im (the Prophets), and the Sages. Even if the Jews do not repent, the promised redemption will arrive. However, our choices determine whether it will arrive speedily and joyfully, or (God forbid) at the end of a long, hard road of terrible suffering.
Since the atonement achieved on Yom Kippur is fundamentally due to the unique nature of the Jewish people, all the prayers and confessions we recite are in the plural. They are communal, asking God to forgive our sins, draw us closer to His service, and reveal His presence to us so that we can reveal His glory and guidance to the world. As a result, blessing flows in the world to the Jewish people, to each individual Jew, and to all the earth’s inhabitants.
5. Individual Atonement in Light of the Community
As a result of the communal holiness and atonement achieved by the Jews on Yom Kippur, each individual Jew experiences the spirit of purity and atonement. This allows him to cling to God more strongly, free himself from the impurity of sins and iniquities, and repent. Accordingly, there is a distinct mitzva for each and every individual to repent on Yom Kippur, as we read, "For on this day atonement shall be made for you to purify you of all your sins; you shall purify yourselves before the Lord" (Vayikra 16:30). The first clause of this verse refers to the communal atonement on Yom Kippur (achieved through the service of the Kohen Gadol). With this as a starting point, the second clause instructs every individual to repent for his sins (Sha’arei Teshuva 4:17; MT, Laws of Repentance 2:7).
On Yom Kippur, repentance is more readily accepted than it is during the rest of the year. The severity of a sin depends upon the level of intentionality with which it was performed. This indicates how distant a person is from God and Torah. On Yom Kippur, the gates of heaven are open, the covenant between God and the Jews is revealed, and the soul’s light shines brightly. It becomes clear that fundamentally every Jew wishes to be close to God, do His will, and observe His commandments. He wishes to be good and to study Torah. When he stumbles and sins, it is due to the seductions of the evil inclination, the daily grind, and material needs, all of which hide the divine light. Even if someone sins intentionally, the intent is not absolute, because he lacks awareness of his innermost desires. The more a person connects with the sanctity of the Jewish people as a whole on Yom Kippur, the more he uncovers his innermost desires, flowing from the root of his soul. This lessens the severity of his sins, iniquities, and transgressions. The intentional sins are reclassified as unintentional, and the unintentional ones as coerced. Therefore, it is easier for him to regret his sins and repent, taking upon himself to be better.
While the primary focus of Yom Kippur and its prayers is the community, this does not detract from the individual’s repentance. On the contrary, by tapping into the sanctity of the community, the individual is able to fully repent. Similarly, the individual’s repentance for his sins need not detract from his prayers for the revelation of the Shekhina and the wellbeing of the community, as each individual who returns to God increases the holiness and blessing of the community.
Based on this, we can understand why the confessions we recite on Yom Kippur are in the plural even though no one has transgressed all the sins mentioned. For Yom Kippur is a day of atonement for the entire people. At the same time that each individual becomes closer to the root of his soul, he also becomes more connected with the community, asking that everyone be granted atonement and forgiveness for their sins. This then allows the individual to repent for his sins as well (7:4 below).
6. The Meaning of the Fast
It is a mitzva to fast on Yom Kippur. This fast is connected to atonement of sins, as we read, "And this shall be to you a law for all time: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall practice self-denial; and you shall do no manner of work, neither the citizen nor the stranger who resides among you. For on this day atonement shall be made for you to purify you of all your sins; you shall purify yourselves before the Lord" (Vayikra 16:29-30). A question arises. If the Torah wanted to establish a day for repentance and atonement, wouldn’t it have made more sense to allow us to eat and drink a little, so that we would be clear-headed and able to concentrate on prayer and repentance?
In fact, however, the fast serves an additional purpose. Throughout the year, the soul is enveloped by a cloak of physicality. Due to a variety of physical desires, people forget their inner aspirations and are led to sin. Fasting on Yom Kippur loosens the chains binding our souls to our bodies and the material world, thus allowing our noble aspirations to freely express themselves. We connect with the root of our souls, thus detaching our sins from us and casting them to Azazel (Derekh Hashem 4:8:5). True, fasting and the other deprivations make it harder for us to focus. However, they allow us to come to the profound realization that our true will is to cling to God. Deep down, we want to improve the world by following the Torah’s instructions and living by its light. This leads to a higher quality of repentance, everyone on their own level.
Therefore, even if someone needs to lie down in order to continue fasting, he should not be discouraged. He can still absorb the key lesson of Yom Kippur. Even while lying in bed, he can think about self-improvement and resolve to increase his Torah study, his mitzva observance, and his commitment to his family.
Fasting also serves a purpose similar to that of a sacrifice. During Temple times, when people sacrificed an animal, its blood and fat would be offered on the altar; when the sweet aroma ascended, it would atone for them. By fasting on Yom Kippur, our blood and fat, which decrease with the fast, atone for us. We should imagine that we are sacrificing ourselves, ascending to the highest level, beyond the realms of thought and comprehension, left with only the simple desire to do the will of our Father in heaven. (See Berakhot 17a; Recanati, Vayikra 16:29; Zohar Ĥadash, Ruth 80a).
On the one hand, Shabbat is holier than Yom Kippur. The punishment for doing melakha on Shabbat is stoning, while on Yom Kippur it is "only" the less severe karet. Additionally, on Shabbat seven people are called up to the Torah, while on Yom Kippur only six are (Megilla 22b). This higher level of holiness is because Shabbat unites the body and soul, revealing the holiness of both. On the other hand, in a certain sense Yom Kippur is more spiritual, as we abstain then from all physical pleasures. Not only that, but even if Yom Kippur is on Shabbat we still fast, as fasting is necessary to achieve atonement for the Jewish people.
7. Sins for Which Yom Kippur Does Not Atone
As we have seen, Yom Kippur reveals the holy root of the soul. Purity and atonement spread outward from the root to its branches. The more a person repents, the purer he becomes, and the more forgiveness he earns for his sins and transgressions. However, there are certain sins which cannot be completely rectified even by the purification achieved through repentance and Yom Kippur. As long as these sins are not rectified, the person is still liable to punishment, whether in this world or the next (1:7 above).
Therefore, someone who is liable to a sin or guilt offering on account of his transgressions must offer the sacrifice, even if he repents and experiences Yom Kippur (except for an asham talui; see n. 4 below). Similarly, if someone commits a transgression whose punishment is lashes or death (assuming that transgresses in front of kosher witnesses after being duly warned), he is punished by the rabbinic court even if he repents fully and experiences Yom Kippur (Keritut 25b-26a; MT, Laws of Sin and Guilt Offerings 3:9). Repentance is effective in restoring his soul, but cannot exempt him from the punishments set forth by the Torah. If they are not carried out, he will be punished, either in this world or the next. Unfortunately, nowadays we can neither offer sacrifices nor carry out punishments in a rabbinic court. Rather, the way to rectify sins is to give charity and study Torah, with the amounts determined by the weightiness of the sins committed. In the past, many people also fasted to rectify their sins, but nowadays the accepted ruling is to give charity and study Torah instead.
The mishna states, "Yom Kippur atones for sins that are between man and God; however, Yom Kippur does not atone for sins that are interpersonal, until the offender has placated his friend" (Yoma 85b). This is derived from the verse, "For on this day atonement shall be made for you to purify you of all your sins; you shall purify yourselves before the Lord" (Vayikra 16:30), which can alternatively be translated, "For on this day atonement shall be made for you to purify you of all your sins before the Lord; purify yourselves." In other words, it is specifically sins "before the Lord" that are forgiven. Thus, when a sin is against the divine glory, complete repentance before God rectifies it entirely. But when a person is the victim of a sin, as long as the person has not been placated, the sin remains. Repentance on Yom Kippur helps only to mitigate its severity, transforming the sin from intentional to unintentional or from unintentional to coerced. This purifies the root of the soul, but the damage to the branches of the soul remains as long as one has not placated his friend.
The same mishna states, "One who declares, ‘I will sin and then repent; I will sin and then repent’ is not given the opportunity to repent. ‘I will sin and Yom Kippur will atone’ – Yom Kippur will not atone" (Yoma 85b). The reason is clear: repentance is meant to help a person repair what he has damaged. When a person sins because he is relying upon repenting afterwards, the idea of repentance actually leads to his feeling free to sin. Therefore, "he is not given the opportunity to repent," meaning it will be difficult for him to motivate himself to correct his deeds. Nevertheless, if despite the difficulty he makes every effort to repent, his repentance will be accepted.
Similarly, when a person sins because he is relying upon Yom Kippur to atone for him, he demonstrates that he does not understand the profound holiness of the day. Yom Kippur is meant to reveal the good root of his soul. Thinking about it is supposed to prevent a person from sinning. But this person has it backwards – thinking of Yom Kippur leads him to sin more. Therefore, it doesn’t matter how much he prays and cries; since he subverts the essential sanctity of the day, Yom Kippur does not atone for him. Only if he makes every effort to repent, understands the magnitude of his mistake, and resolves not to sin again, will his repentance be accepted.
8. The Position of Rabbi Yehuda Ha-Nasi
As we have seen, Yom Kippur reveals the inviolable connection between God and the Jewish people. This connection leads to communal atonement and purification, even without repentance. As a result, the world continues to exist and to advance towards redemption. However, the Gemara records a disagreement as to how this plays out for the atonement of the individual. R. Yehuda Ha-Nasi maintains that an individual is forgiven without repentance, while the other sages maintain that repentance is a prerequisite for Yom Kippur’s atonement (Yoma 85b).
According to R. Yehuda Ha-Nasi, the fundamental atonement of Yom Kippur extends to each and every Jew, even if he neither repents nor observes the day. Since he experiences the day, he is absolved from punishments such as karet or death at the hands of heaven. (See Keritut 7a.) This is because the atonement is the result of divine fiat, rooted in the eternal connection between God and His nation Israel. Therefore, even if someone declares that he does not want Yom Kippur to atone for him, he is forgiven against his will. For a person cannot say to his king, "I do not want you to rule over me" (y. Shevu’ot 1:6). God has decided to forgive the sins of the Jews on Yom Kippur, and that is that.
However, it is clear that even according to R. Yehuda Ha-Nasi, when a person sins he damages his soul. This prevents him from drawing close to God and taking pleasure in the glory of the Shekhina in this world and the next. The extent of the distance depends on the extent of the damage. In the absence of repentance or suffering, this damage is not erased even after he experiences Yom Kippur.
It is important to be aware that there are three types of suffering in this world: The first type of suffering is meant to purify a person and cleanse him of his sins. The second type of suffering is meant as a wake-up call, encouraging a person to repent and directing him towards the right path. Fundamentally, these types of suffering are motivated by love. R. Yehuda Ha-Nasi and the other sages do not disagree about them. R. Yehuda Ha-Nasi agrees that these types of suffering will not be obviated by Yom Kippur, since their purpose is to help people. The more a person purifies himself by repenting on Yom Kippur, the more able he is to avoid these, as they are rendered unnecessary.
The third type of suffering is meant to punish and stems from divine justice. God created good and evil. He created forces of good, empowering them to reward those who perform mitzvot, and He created forces of evil, empowering them to punish sinners. There are many detailed rules pertaining to the punishments, all in accordance with the severity of the sin. It is true that these punishments also purify a person, and may even direct him towards the proper path. However, their primary purpose is to carry out justice, punishing sinners who damage the world and the honor of heaven. Even though sometimes a delay in punishment would allow a person time to repent and correct his failings, that is irrelevant if the rules of justice demand that he be punished. What is good for him is no longer part of the equation. Rather, he is punished in accordance with strict justice.
According to R. Yehuda Ha-Nasi, this type of suffering is obviated on Yom Kippur even without repentance. If a person is deserving of heavenly punishment, experiencing Yom Kippur erases it. He can turn over a new leaf, and he is not held accountable for his earlier sins. He is subject only to those punishments which will be most helpful for his correction and purification.
To reiterate, when it comes to the first two types of suffering, there is no disagreement between R. Yehuda Ha-Nasi and the other sages.
Additionally, R. Yehuda Ha-Nasi agrees that if someone denies one of the fundamentals of faith, Yom Kippur does not atone for him, and does not save him from the third type of suffering. As we read, "Because he has spurned the word of the Lord and violated His commandment, that person shall be cut off – he bears his guilt" (Bamidbar 15:31). Those deemed to be denying fundamentals of faith are: A) One who casts off the yoke of heaven, meaning he denies the God of Israel. B) One who misrepresents the Torah, meaning he dares to falsify and degrade it. C) One who violates the covenant of circumcision, meaning he does not circumcise his son, or tries to hide the fact that he himself is circumcised. In other words, Yom Kippur does not atone for someone who denies God, misrepresents the Torah, or denies his Jewish identity (Yoma 85b; Shevu’ot 13a).
9. The Position of the Sages
According to the other sages, even though Yom Kippur atones for the Jewish people as a whole, it does not exempt individuals from the punishment they deserve. Even if it is possible that a delay in the punishment would allow a person time to repent and correct his deeds, if he fails to repent on Yom Kippur he will feel the full force of the law. However, even these sages agree that a person does not have to achieve perfect repentance for Yom Kippur to atone. Rather, even if the Knower of Secrets cannot testify that he will sin no more (since his repentance is not all-encompassing), he is still forgiven. The fact that on Yom Kippur he refrained from melakha, fasted, prayed, and showed his inner wish to be good and not sin, is enough to protect him from the punishment due him according to the letter of the law (3:5 above, based on Shlah, Masekhet Rosh Ha-shana, Torah Ohr §17).
The Rishonim rule that the halakha follows the sages, and Yom Kippur atones only for those who repent. Nevertheless, if we truly internalize R. Yehuda Ha-Nasi’s words concerning the inviolable connection between God and the soul of each and every Jew, Yom Kippur will inspire us to repent out of love.
10. Types of Repentance and Atonement
Achieving complete atonement, the type which cleanses a person of sin leaving no remaining trace, is complicated. It depends upon the severity of the sin and the quality of the repentance. For example, complete repentance on its own can fully atone for not fulfilling a positive commandment. However, for serious transgressions that involve an element of desecrating God’s name, atonement requires a combination of repentance, Yom Kippur, suffering, and death.
Repentance is commonly inspired by fear. This can be fear of being punished, or fear of losing one’s reward, in this world or the next. This type of repentance transforms intentional sins into unintentional ones. However, in order to erase the impression left by unintentional sins, it is still necessary for a person to experience regret, sorrow, and suffering in amounts suited to the severity of the sin. (In the times of the Rishonim, many people would undertake fasts and ascetic practices to ensure complete atonement.) The more a person studies Torah, gives charity, and performs acts of kindness, the fewer tribulations he must undergo in order to cleanse himself of sin (Sha’arei Teshuva 4:11). Someone who desecrated God’s name should make a point of sanctifying it and bringing greater glory to God (Sha’arei Teshuva 1:47 and 4:16).
Better than repentance inspired by fear is repentance inspired by love. Such repentance is motivated by love of God, identification with divine ideals, and concern for the Jewish people. This repentance can involve studying Torah in order to repair the world by its light; giving charity and acting kindly in order to enable the poor to stand on their own two feet; settling the Land; sanctifying God’s name; and doing everything possible to draw the Shekhina and redemption closer. For this type of penitent, his intentional sins become merits, so there is nothing left for which he needs to atone. As a rule, though, even someone whose repentance is inspired by love does not attain its highest level. Therefore, he still needs to repent out of fear, which leaves him liable to some suffering. It is better to experience this suffering through toiling in Torah and making do with little (in order to maximize giving to charity), rather than through illness or pain.
11. The Jubilee, Repentance, and Freedom
Repentance frees a person from the chains that imprison him, allowing His soul to express itself freely. For repentance is a striving for Divine freedom, which liberates the penitent from any whiff of slavery (Orot Ha-teshuva 5:5 and 7:4).
In the natural way of things, a person is inclined to give in to his urges and desires – lust and arrogance, anger and jealousy, laziness and approval-seeking – because doing so provides instant gratification. Unfortunately, once he is seduced by them, he becomes enslaved to them. True, his inner self still longs for truth and goodness, but it is very difficult for him to actualize them. He is already addicted to fulfilling his urges, which chain his soul and make it suffer.
By repenting, a person sets himself free, revealing his true desires. When his soul is freed from the chains of the evil inclination, it is able to illuminate his path, and his life force is strengthened. This is what our Sages mean when they say, "The only free person is one who studies Torah" (Pirkei Avot 6:2). For Torah guides a person on the true and right path. Through this path, a person can actualize all his positive aspirations, the divine ideals for which his soul longs.
Thus, Yom Kippur is also a day of freedom, as we see from the mitzva of the Jubilee. In the natural course of events, sometimes people are forced to sell their land, whether due to laziness, a desire for short-term gain, or other troubles. Sometimes they are even forced to sell themselves into slavery. The Torah teaches people to be industrious and not allow themselves to give in to their desires and accumulate debt. Nevertheless, there are people whose desires overwhelm them. They mortgage their future in favor of the ephemeral present, and ultimately, they sell their fields and enslave themselves. God has pity on them and even more so on their families, so He gave us the mitzva of the Jubilee. Every fifty years all Jewish slaves go free, and all fields return to their previous owners. Thus we read, "You shall count off seven weeks of years – seven times seven years – so that the period of seven weeks of years gives you a total of forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the horn loud; in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month – the Day of Atonement – you shall have the horn sounded throughout your land and you shall hallow the fiftieth year. You shall proclaim release throughout the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: each of you shall return to his holding and each of you shall return to his family. . . In this year of jubilee, each of you shall return to his holding" (Vayikra 25:8-13).
The day that the Torah establishes for slaves to go free and fields to return to their owners is Yom Kippur, as we read, "Then you shall sound the horn loud; in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month" (ibid. 25:9). Rambam codifies this: "In the period between Rosh Ha-shana and Yom Kippur, slaves did not yet go home, nor were they enslaved to their owners, nor did the fields return to their owners. Rather, slaves ate and drank and rejoiced while wearing crowns (of freedom). Once Yom Kippur arrived and the rabbinic court blew the shofar, slaves were sent home and fields were returned to their owners" (MT, Laws of Shemita and Yovel 10:14).
As a remembrance of the shofar-blowing of the Jubilee, there is a widespread custom to blow the shofar at the end of Yom Kippur (R. Hai Gaon). For every year on Yom Kippur, the Jews are privileged to experience freedom comparable to that of the Jubilee. Our freedom from enslavement to evil desires is similar to the freedom of emancipated slaves. The return of the body to the soul is similar to the return of a field to its owner. When a person gives in to his urges, the body disengages from the soul; external desires subjugate the body and pressure it to squander its strength in sin. But through the repentance of Yom Kippur, the body is restored to the soul, and they can share the mitzva-based joy of revealing God’s word in the world. Through this a person merits a good and blessed life.
12. Matches
The Mishna describes a remarkable Yom Kippur custom during Temple times:
There were no happier days for the Jews than the fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur. On those days, the young women of Jerusalem would go out in borrowed white clothes in order to avoid embarrassing those who did not own any. . . . They would dance in the vineyards, saying: "Young man! Please look and choose someone. Do not look at beauty, look at the family. ‘Grace is deceptive, beauty is illusory; it is for her fear of the Lord that a woman is to be praised. Extol her for the fruit of her hand, and let her works praise her in the gates’ (Mishlei 31:30-31)" (Ta’anit 26b).
At first glance, this seems strange. How can it be that on this awe-inspiring, holy fast day, people were matchmaking? On further reflection, it is not so strange. The marriage relationship is holy. Our Sages state that the Shekhina dwells with a husband and wife who are faithful to each other (Sota 17a). Their loyalty and love reflect the unity of God. This is why God ordered that His name be erased in order to reconcile husband and wife (Nedarim 66b). Similarly, Arizal states that the mitzva to "Love your fellow as yourself" (Vayikra 19:18), which R. Akiva calls "a great principle of the Torah" (Sifra ad loc.), reaches its ultimate fulfillment within marriage.
Furthermore, the union of a married couple corresponds to the supernal union of God and the Jewish people, as we read, "As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you" (Yeshayahu 62:5). R. Akiva said, "No other day was as precious as the day the Jews were given Shir Ha-shirim. For all of the Writings are holy, but Shir Ha-shirim is the holy of holies" (Tanĥuma Tetzaveh §5). Similarly, the keruvim (cherubim) on the top of the ark in the Holy of Holies were in the form of a male and female being intimate. This was to teach that holiness does not constrict life but intensifies it. When the Jews stopped doing what God wanted, the keruvim turned their backs on each other and faced outwards (BB 99a).
These considerations were at the root of the practice of young men and women looking for their partners on Yom Kippur. They drew upon the unity of God and the Jewish people to find their own union and love, allowing for the creation of holy Jewish homes. Accordingly, each married couple must repent on Yom Kippur for any failure to love and pleasure each other properly. True, on the physical level, a couple must separate on Yom Kippur, as they do when the wife is a nidda (9:7 below). Nevertheless, on the spiritual level their connection is stronger than usual, due to the holiness of the day. This concept is reflected in the laws pertaining to the Kohen Gadol serving in the Temple on Yom Kippur. On the one hand, he was required to separate from his wife for a week before Yom Kippur. On the other hand, an unmarried Kohen was not allowed to serve on Yom Kippur at all (10:4 below).
The young women would wait to dance in the vineyards until after the scapegoat was sent off. Since the sins of the Jews were forgiven then, it was an especially joyous time. This custom was appropriate at a time when the Shekhina dwelled with the people, and the Temple linked heaven and earth. But since the destruction of the Temple, heaven and earth are not as close together. If people today dealt with matchmaking on Yom Kippur, they would miss out on the primary expression of the day’s holiness.
Nevertheless, it is still proper on Yom Kippur for all singles to pray for a good match, as the very holiness of the day can help in their quest. Often, negative character traits such as arrogance and lust prevent people from finding their true match. On Yom Kippur, when the pure soul is revealed, a person can see his life goals more clearly. He can better determine what type of person would suit him best, and with whom he would be able to build a home of Torah and mitzvot, so that together they will add life and joy to the world.
