by Shimshon Cook
It’s difficult to imagine that just a few days ago, we passed the one-year mark of the horrible tragedy which befell our country and people on Oct 7th. 12 months of war (on multiple fronts) loss of life, and most importantly, hostages STILL in captivity by Hamas.
It would be easy for us, as Jews (religious or not), to hear the prayers of Rosh Hashanah Musaf service telling of the Judgement of G-d for sins left “unatoned” for. It would be easy for us, as Jews, to somehow believe we had a hand in the senseless massacring of our children, sisters, brothers, fathers, mothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends by way of our hubris and distance from G-d. It would be easy for us, as Jews, to forget the biggest point of Yom Kippur; that G-d forgave us after the worst sort of betrayal we could have performed against Him.
Let me state this plainly and unequivocally. October 7th was not some form of divine retribution for anything we, as Jews, did (or did not) do. The loss of lives and the manner in which those who were murdered and those who are still in captivity was not some form of G-d’s judgment against us. Yom Kippur isn’t some sadistic day where we grovel at the feet of G-d and beg his forgiveness before he decides to swing some big divine hammer in a sick whack-a-mole style game.
Yom Kippur, according to our traditions, is a day of drawing close to Our Creator like angels who require neither food nor drink to sustain themselves. Sure, there are those who say we must afflict ourselves and remember our deeds, but this is more for the 10 days of awe between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, which one should go to their brother and ask for forgiveness for offenses we committed against one another. Our prayers on Yom Kippur are intended to focus our minds on our relationship with G-d and to remember that He chose to forgive us after the incident of the Golden Calf. Yom Kippur is a time to rejoice in the fact we have an unbreakable bond with The Creator and that He accepts us as humans, both flawed and wonderful.
As in the story of Job, we learn that life can be cruel and inflict horrible things on us for no reason. Rambam relates this idea perfectly in Moreh Nevuchim suggesting that the identity of Job is concealed from us because it should resound in each of us that life can be unfair, even to those who are righteous. It can also seem to reward those who are vile and evil.
We tend to mix the ideas of Rosh Hashana, the 10 days of awe, and Yom Kippur together. We forget that the “awe” we are to observe during those 10 days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is about forgiving each other and having the courage, humility, and strength to ask forgiveness from those we have offended or hurt because it is in the same spirit that G-d has forgiven us and continues to accept us as his chosen people.
As we try and move on toward healing as a nation of survivors, be it the holocaust or countless October 7th-type massacres we’ve endured over thousands of years, we need to keep a keen sense that it isn’t because G-d is punishing us. It is simply because wickedness, hate, and greed persist in the world. As long as evil regimes like Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah continue to exist, there will continue to be events of this nature.
It would be easy for us, as Jews, being both flawed AND wonderful, to forget how fortunate we are to call ourselves one of The Chosen People. It would be easy for us, as Jews, to focus on the losses we’ve suffered alone, allowing that darkness to overshadow the light of our covenant with The Creator. It would be easy for us, as Jews, to forget each other and forget to not only love one another but to love ourselves.
It would be easy for us, AS JEWS, to forget the joy we once had on the first Yom Kippur when G-d accepted us and forgave us for an unthinkable sin against the one who had just brought us out of Egypt and our captivity. IT WOULD BE EASY FOR US AS JEWS TO FORGET TO REJOICE AND SING OUR PRAYERS TO G-D IN THANKFULNESS ON YOM KIPPUR THIS YEAR AND EVERY YEAR TO COME!
May we all have an easy and meaningful fast, and may we all be written and sealed in the Book of Life. AMEN!
