Based on atonement service of the Kohein Gadol, the High Priest, as described in Mishna Yoma (Tractate Moed)
The Kohein Gadol prepared for a week
Wore gold for the daily rituals that day and white linen for the atonement sacrifices
Offering of a bull:
- First: his sins and those of his family
- Second: the sins of the Kohanim
- Third: the sins of all Israel
- People prostrated themselves
- Responded: “Praised is His name, whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever.”
- one goat sent off to the wilderness for Azazel
- one sacrificed as a sin offering
That day, God, granted favor to the Israelites joyfully etc. However, on the first day of Elul, God granted favor only regarding the Tablets, but not regarding the golden calf. But on Yom Kippur God said, “I have forgiven, just as you spoke,” which also refers to the golden calf. Therefore, Yom Kippur was designated for atonement and forgiveness rather than the first day of Elul when God showed favor and said, “Carve two stones for yourself.” Rashi’s question, “From where is it derived that He granted complete favor?” means to say: From where is it derived that the second Tablets were given with favor? [Perhaps they were given] out of necessity, for the Jewish People already had accepted the yoke of Torah and mitzvot and entered the covenant, which would be impossible for them to keep [without receiving] the Torah and mitzvoth, etc.
When we starved our bodies, did You pay no heed?”
Because on your fast day
You see to your business
And oppress all your laborers! (4) Because you fast in strife and contention,
And you strike with a wicked fist!
Your fasting today is not such
As to make your voice heard on high. (5) Is such the fast I desire,
A day for men to starve their bodies?
Is it bowing the head like a bulrush
And lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Do you call that a fast,
A day when the LORD is favorable? (6) No, this is the fast I desire:
To unlock fetters of wickedness,
And untie the cords of the yoke-a
To let the oppressed go free;
To break off every yoke. (7) It is to share your bread with the hungry,
And to take the wretched poor into your home;
When you see the naked, to clothe him,
And not to ignore your own kin.
So, Yom Kippur is a joyous day. It is joyous because it is a day of repentance and forgiveness.
There are two aspects of this day - Selicha and Mechilah.
Slicha is the hebrew for forgiveness. The focus on forgiveness is on the person who is asking. I need to right a wrong so I go in search of ways to fix that hurt.
Mechilah is pardon. That’s on the person who was wronged. He may not even have been asked for forgiveness. He may never have been approached by someone saying I’m sorry. But he says, in his heart, I grant you pardon anyway.
Yom Kippur is the happiest day of the year because we free ourselves from the burden of bad feelings, and resentments and regrets; we are unshackled from our past.
The Kol Nidrei prayer that we just recited also reflects this idea. We are about to release the burdens created by our words.
This year, of all years, please take a few moments, before we begin YK to concentrate on what we can let go of - I know that I, like so many of us, feel burdened by fears, worries, uncertainties - I need, we all need - to cut that rope that is strangling us and find solid ground beneath us.
There is a beautiful story about Rabbi Rav Aryeh Levine, who was once standing outside during recess of the school he led and watching the children. One of the other teachers saw him and asked him what he was looking at, what did he find so interesting? Rav Aryeh invited him to come and watch the children together with him. After five minutes Rav Aryeh asked the other teacher, “Nuh, what did you see?”
The teacher replied, “ I noticed that Dovid was running around without a kippah on his head and that Moshe’s tzitzis weren’t long enough, etc.” The teacher then asked Rav Aryeh, “And what did you see?”
Rav Aryeh answered, “I saw that Dovid was very skinny. I need to check out what’s going on in his home, maybe there are issues there. And I saw that Moshe’s shirt was torn and tattered, I have to bring him a new shirt…”
Rabbi Levin had the gift of being able to see the good and let go of the negative images. He had the gift of Mechila - of pardon.
We can truly make this Yom Kippur an occasion to wish each other a good Yom Tov by embracing the power of Mechilah of letting go grudges - grudges that we have hold against others and the internal grudges - the guilt and uncertainties that we harbor of ourselves.
May we all be blessed with an easy and meaningful fast and a good Yom Tov.
כתב הגר"א הנה המהלך בכל יום טוב הוא חציו לשם חציו לכם. שני זמנים יוצאים הם מן הכלל הזה. יום כפור הוא כולו להשם ופורים הוא כולו לכם, אלא שלקושטא דמלתא אין כאן שום יוצא מן הכלל. כי יום כפורים הוא יום כ-פורים. כלומר, שניהם ביחד מהווים בעניין זה מועד אחד. ובמועד הזה הכולל פורים ויום כפור, שפיר מתקיים בו חציו להשם וחציו לכם. עד כען דברי הג"רא.
Pachad Yitzchak, Purim 8
The Vilna Gaon wrote: here is a rule for every Yom Tov, that it is half for God and half for you. Two holidays are exceptions to this rule. Yom Kippur is entirely for God, and Purim is entirely for you. But...there is no exception from the rule. For Yom Kippurim is Yom K-("like")-Purim. Meaning: both together make up one holy time. And in this holy time are included Purim and Yom Kippur, and it stands as half for God and half for you.
() בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה יִכָּתֵבוּן, וּבְיוֹם צוֹם כִּפּוּר יֵחָתֵמוּן. כַּמָּה יַעַבְרוּן, וְכַמָּה יִבָּרֵאוּן, מִי יִחְיֶה, וּמִי יָמוּת, מִי בְקִצּוֹ, וּמִי לֹא בְּקִצּוֹ, מִי בַמַּיִם, וּמִי בָאֵשׁ, מִי בַחֶרֶב, וּמִי בַחַיָּה, מִי בָרָעָב, וּמִי בַצָּמָא, מִי בָרַעַשׁ, וּמִי בַמַּגֵּפָה, מִי בַחֲנִיקָה, וּמִי בַסְּקִילָה, מִי יָנוּחַ, וּמִי יָנוּעַ, מִי יִשָּׁקֵט, וּמִי יְטֹּרֵף, מִי יִשָּׁלֵו, וּמִי יִתְיַסָּר, מִי יַעֲנִי, וּמִי יַעֲשִׁיר, מִי יֻשְׁפַּל, וּמִי יָרוּם. וּתְשׁוּבָה וּתְפִלָּה וּצְדָקָה מַעֲבִירִין אֶת רֹעַ הַגְּזֵרָה.
On Rosh Hashanah it is inscribed, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed - how many shall pass away and how many shall be born, who shall live and who shall die, who in good time, and who by an untimely death, who by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by wild beast, who by famine and who by thirst, who by earthquake and who by plague, who by strangulation and who by lapidation, who shall have rest and who wander, who shall be at peace and who pursued, who shall be serene and who tormented, who shall become impoverished and who wealthy, who shall be debased, and who exalted. But repentance, prayer and righteousness avert the severity of the decree.