Rabbi Peter Tarlow’s Weekly Parasha: 

Friday evening Oct 3 is a special day. Not only does it mark the beginning of the Sabbath but as the sun sets, we gather for Judaism’s holiest of days.  Yom Kippur is in many ways the essence of Judaism.  Perhaps no holy day better than Yom Kippur symbolizes Judaism’s belief that there can be no intermediary between G’d and each of us. Perhaps no other day forces us to examine our individual and collective errors, admit them and seek to repair the damage that each of us has done advertently or inadvertently to others.  It is for this reason that Judaism lacks a professional class of people who intercede to G’d on our behalf. The job of facing G’d is ours alone.

Judaism emphasizes that life is a tablet for us to write on as we wish.  We can use our life to be people of character by performing mitzvoth throughout our lives, or give in to moments of rage, anger, selfishness and egocentricity.  From Yom Kippur’s perspective the choice is ours and ours alone. What makes Yom Kippur special is that it teaches us to stop blaming others, to examine our own weaknesses, and to ask ourselves: Where did I go wrong?  What errors did I make? How am I responsible for both the good and the bad in my life?   Do I understand that I cannot escape the events of my life, and that the quality of my life is determined by how I face these events and learn to deal with them? For this reason, Yom Kippur demands of us that we face G’d directly and be adult enough to account to the “Judge of Judges” for our actions, be they of an individual or of a collective nature. Yom Kippur teaches us that only we can correct our faults.
These tasks are not easy, nor is the day easy.  Yom Kippur’s fast pushes us to the physical, psychological and spiritual limit. It is hard to go from sundown to sundown without food or
water. How quickly even the strongest person realizes how frail s/he is in the eyes of G’d.

Perhaps even harder than fasting is the realization that although G’d gives us the gift of life,  it is up to us to determine what we do with that gift.  It is not easy to fast and it is even harder to examine both our individual and collective failings.  To examine the totality of one’s life, to realize that all of us are fallible, means that we must not only demand that we improve but be willing to demand that we forgive others who seek to improve.  Forgiveness (teshuvah) in Judaism, however, comes with a price.  Repentance is only granted to those who sincerely desire to recognize their errors, to repent, to change their ways, and to begin again. No easy task, but then Yom Kippur is not meant to be an easy day.

On this Yom Kippur, may your fast be helpful and your thoughts be deep.