אַ֡ךְ בֶּעָשׂ֣וֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ֩ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֨י הַזֶּ֜ה י֧וֹם הַכִּפֻּרִ֣ים ה֗וּא מִֽקְרָא־קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם וְעִנִּיתֶ֖ם אֶת־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶ֑ם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֥ם אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַיהוָֽה׃
Mark, 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;
וְכָל־מְלָאכָה֙ לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֔וּ בְּעֶ֖צֶם הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה כִּ֣י י֤וֹם כִּפֻּרִים֙ ה֔וּא לְכַפֵּ֣ר עֲלֵיכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
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 your God.
כִּ֤י כָל־הַנֶּ֙פֶשׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־תְעֻנֶּ֔ה בְּעֶ֖צֶם הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְנִכְרְתָ֖ה מֵֽעַמֶּֽיהָ׃
Indeed, any person who does not practice self-denial throughout that day shall be cut off from his kin;
וְכָל־הַנֶּ֗פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר תַּעֲשֶׂה֙ כָּל־מְלָאכָ֔ה בְּעֶ֖צֶם הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְהַֽאֲבַדְתִּ֛י אֶת־הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הַהִ֖וא מִקֶּ֥רֶב עַמָּֽהּ׃
and whoever does any work throughout that day, I will cause that person to perish from among his people.
כָּל־מְלָאכָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ חֻקַּ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם בְּכֹ֖ל מֹֽשְׁבֹֽתֵיכֶֽם׃
Do no work whatever; it is a law for all time, throughout the ages in all your settlements.
שַׁבַּ֨ת שַׁבָּת֥וֹן הוּא֙ לָכֶ֔ם וְעִנִּיתֶ֖ם אֶת־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶ֑ם בְּתִשְׁעָ֤ה לַחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ בָּעֶ֔רֶב מֵעֶ֣רֶב עַד־עֶ֔רֶב תִּשְׁבְּת֖וּ שַׁבַּתְּכֶֽם׃ (פ)
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.
סתם סיפרא מני ר' יהודה וקאמר שבים אין לא שבים לא
Rav Yosef attributes the baraita to Rabbi Yehuda: Whose opinion is expressed by the unattributed baraitot in the Sifra? Rabbi Yehuda. And he says: For those who repent, yes, Yom Kippur atones, but for those who do not repent, Yom Kippur does not atone.
A month ago, when I noticed that Michael Isaacs was organising a rota to do the leyning, I wrote him an email, where I said that I had only leyned once before seven years ago at my daughter’s bat mitzvah. I wrote, ‘Could you give me something to leyn that is short and about a month in the future so that I can have a daily practise of a thing’
But honestly when I volunteered, I never imagined that I wouldn’t be leying in shul in a familiar place with familiar faces, with all of you, my holy congregation.
And so it was that I sat on my bed for a month, listening to a recording of Claire’s voice on my phone trying to follow along to learn to leyn the words of this week’s Parasha. Parashat Emor. I was given chamishi to do because it is short and because it has many familiar words. It describes the laws of Yom Kippur. I practised and I practised:
אַ֡ךְ בֶּעָשׂ֣וֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ֩ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֨י הַזֶּ֜ה י֧וֹם הַכִּפֻּרִ֣ים ה֗וּא מִֽקְרָא־קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם וְעִנִּיתֶ֖ם אֶת־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶ֑ם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֥ם אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַיהוָֽה׃
“Mark, the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a sacred occasion for you (plural) you shall practice self-denial, and you shall bring an offering by fire to the LORD” Leviticus 23:27
It goes on to say that we must do no work on this day and that this an everlasting law for your descendants in all your dwelling places.
I get goose bumps when I read that now as I sit in my dwelling place. Yom Kippur has been a law from then until now, until me. Now we pray in place of fire-offerings, but we keep all the rest of the laws of Yom Kippur and we've been keeping them for over two thousand years. There’s something miraculous in that. Generations of people have experienced Yom Kippur from then until now. How many orbits has the earth made with our people experiencing Yom Kippur every time? We are the people who keep Yom Kippur, come what may.
Now I wouldn't consider not starting my fast with soup, chicken and potatoes, jelly and tinned fruit, as my mother has always done. I can’t imagine not going to shul for Kol Nidrei with all the people in my beloved community wearing white and canvas shoes. I can’t imagine not signing up for stewarding inside so I can still see my friends, and not miss any of the davening. I can’t imagine a Yom Kippur without having a chat with Bruce and Oren during the break. I can’t imagine sitting alone during Neila and then my kids coming to find me and then they sit next to me, as we go through the last hour together. I can’t imagine not kneeling and standing up again with everyone during the service. I can’t imagine not crying along with everyone else on the last Avinu Malceinu. I can’t imagine not ending the breaking my fast with a slice of sister's sponge cake, surrounded by my whole family, all of us hungry, exhausted and clamouring for food.
But I might have to.
We are now in the time of corona, a place that none of us living today have experienced before. So far, we know what Zoom Pesach looks like, and Zoom Havdalah and for us today, Zoom Shabbat.
But what will we be doing on the evening of September 27 until the evening of September 28 in 2020? How will Yom Kippur be different this year? How will we keep the laws of Yom Kippur specified in this week’s parasha? So much has changed in the last two months. My heart sinks when I think that this will have to change too.
As we learn in this week’s parashah, the rules of Yom Kippur are simple. We have to practise self- denial and we must not work. We have to make a fire offering to God, and we have to make this day of Atonement, a sacred occasion.
The laws of Yom Kippur are introduced with a tiny word. The word is Ach. It’s a small word but it punches above its weight. I wouldn't have ordinarily noticed that word except I had was having to sing it aloud over and over again. There is a note called a pazer over it. My brother in law David, who is an experienced leyner, told me that the pazer is used to prolong a word significantly. It places strong emphasis on the meaning of the word. Pazer means distribute or disseminate or spread out. This relates to the high number of notes in its melody.
Sefaria translates Ach as 'mark', as in 'mark my words'. But that's not how Rashi translates it. He sees it as a word of exclusion, like 'only'. Rashi says the word Ach or Only teaches us that Yom Kippur ONLY works for those who repent.
Or opposite to this meaning, a baraita in Massechet Shavuot is quoted, which says the verse goes on to say Yom Kippurim hu as in It is. This additional emphasis on it is serves to teach us that the day atones in any case. This means the day itself atones, whether we repent or not. The day itself does the work on us. Just by being alive on the tenth day of the seventh month, they day itself has the power to change us.
That’s what we can learn from Corona.
We can let ourselves be changed by the day. Not to be scared of change, but rather to understand it and be present to the opportunities it offers us in every moment. Things change all the time. Generations come and go. The Temple is built and destroyed, built and destroyed. The printing press is invented. Genocide happens. The Internet is invented. Global warming changes everything.
The pazer on the word Ach or only, reminds us that while it looks like only one thing is possible, in fact, a multitude of possibilities are spread out for us.
So, while I notice I am resisting change to how we do Yom Kippur, I remind myself anything is possible. The day itself has the power to change us. Even if we do nothing at all on the tenth day of the seventh month this year, the day itself will make atonement for us.
Next year, when Yom Kippur comes around again, the world will have changed, and we will have changed too. But not too much. Please God, we will all be with one another again to experience it together
But honestly when I volunteered, I never imagined that I wouldn’t be leying in shul in a familiar place with familiar faces, with all of you, my holy congregation.
And so it was that I sat on my bed for a month, listening to a recording of Claire’s voice on my phone trying to follow along to learn to leyn the words of this week’s Parasha. Parashat Emor. I was given chamishi to do because it is short and because it has many familiar words. It describes the laws of Yom Kippur. I practised and I practised:
אַ֡ךְ בֶּעָשׂ֣וֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ֩ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֨י הַזֶּ֜ה י֧וֹם הַכִּפֻּרִ֣ים ה֗וּא מִֽקְרָא־קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם וְעִנִּיתֶ֖ם אֶת־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶ֑ם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֥ם אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַיהוָֽה׃
“Mark, the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a sacred occasion for you (plural) you shall practice self-denial, and you shall bring an offering by fire to the LORD” Leviticus 23:27
It goes on to say that we must do no work on this day and that this an everlasting law for your descendants in all your dwelling places.
I get goose bumps when I read that now as I sit in my dwelling place. Yom Kippur has been a law from then until now, until me. Now we pray in place of fire-offerings, but we keep all the rest of the laws of Yom Kippur and we've been keeping them for over two thousand years. There’s something miraculous in that. Generations of people have experienced Yom Kippur from then until now. How many orbits has the earth made with our people experiencing Yom Kippur every time? We are the people who keep Yom Kippur, come what may.
Now I wouldn't consider not starting my fast with soup, chicken and potatoes, jelly and tinned fruit, as my mother has always done. I can’t imagine not going to shul for Kol Nidrei with all the people in my beloved community wearing white and canvas shoes. I can’t imagine not signing up for stewarding inside so I can still see my friends, and not miss any of the davening. I can’t imagine a Yom Kippur without having a chat with Bruce and Oren during the break. I can’t imagine sitting alone during Neila and then my kids coming to find me and then they sit next to me, as we go through the last hour together. I can’t imagine not kneeling and standing up again with everyone during the service. I can’t imagine not crying along with everyone else on the last Avinu Malceinu. I can’t imagine not ending the breaking my fast with a slice of sister's sponge cake, surrounded by my whole family, all of us hungry, exhausted and clamouring for food.
But I might have to.
We are now in the time of corona, a place that none of us living today have experienced before. So far, we know what Zoom Pesach looks like, and Zoom Havdalah and for us today, Zoom Shabbat.
But what will we be doing on the evening of September 27 until the evening of September 28 in 2020? How will Yom Kippur be different this year? How will we keep the laws of Yom Kippur specified in this week’s parasha? So much has changed in the last two months. My heart sinks when I think that this will have to change too.
As we learn in this week’s parashah, the rules of Yom Kippur are simple. We have to practise self- denial and we must not work. We have to make a fire offering to God, and we have to make this day of Atonement, a sacred occasion.
The laws of Yom Kippur are introduced with a tiny word. The word is Ach. It’s a small word but it punches above its weight. I wouldn't have ordinarily noticed that word except I had was having to sing it aloud over and over again. There is a note called a pazer over it. My brother in law David, who is an experienced leyner, told me that the pazer is used to prolong a word significantly. It places strong emphasis on the meaning of the word. Pazer means distribute or disseminate or spread out. This relates to the high number of notes in its melody.
Sefaria translates Ach as 'mark', as in 'mark my words'. But that's not how Rashi translates it. He sees it as a word of exclusion, like 'only'. Rashi says the word Ach or Only teaches us that Yom Kippur ONLY works for those who repent.
Or opposite to this meaning, a baraita in Massechet Shavuot is quoted, which says the verse goes on to say Yom Kippurim hu as in It is. This additional emphasis on it is serves to teach us that the day atones in any case. This means the day itself atones, whether we repent or not. The day itself does the work on us. Just by being alive on the tenth day of the seventh month, they day itself has the power to change us.
That’s what we can learn from Corona.
We can let ourselves be changed by the day. Not to be scared of change, but rather to understand it and be present to the opportunities it offers us in every moment. Things change all the time. Generations come and go. The Temple is built and destroyed, built and destroyed. The printing press is invented. Genocide happens. The Internet is invented. Global warming changes everything.
The pazer on the word Ach or only, reminds us that while it looks like only one thing is possible, in fact, a multitude of possibilities are spread out for us.
So, while I notice I am resisting change to how we do Yom Kippur, I remind myself anything is possible. The day itself has the power to change us. Even if we do nothing at all on the tenth day of the seventh month this year, the day itself will make atonement for us.
Next year, when Yom Kippur comes around again, the world will have changed, and we will have changed too. But not too much. Please God, we will all be with one another again to experience it together
איבעיא להו האי עולבנא לישנא דחוצפא הוא או לישנא דניחותא הוא ת"ש דאמר עולא עלובה כלה שזינתה בקרב חופתה
A dilemma was raised before the Sages: This ulbena of the judges that Shmuel speaks of, is it a term of insolence, in that the judges are, according to Shmuel, enabling lenders to insolently collect debts that are not due to them, or a term of convenience, in that the judges are saving themselves the inconvenience of having to actually collect the debts detailed in the promissory notes? The Gemara suggests a proof: Come and hear that which Ulla said in describing the Jewish people after they sinned with the Golden Calf immediately following the revelation at Sinai: Insolent [aluva] is the bride who is promiscuous under her wedding canopy.