The Heavens, the Earth, and the Gift of Yom Kippur
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The heavens and earth testify to Hashem’s greatness and remind us not to overlook the gifts that are always present. Among the greatest of those gifts is Yom Kippur, when Hashem invites us to return, repair and begin again.
The Heavens and Earth as Witnesses
Witnesses play an important role in giving testimony. Have we ever heard of witnesses who are not even human? We actually see this at the beginning of our parashah. The heavens and the earth were called upon to serve as witnesses to Hashem’s covenant with us, since they would always be there. This was unlike Moshe Rabbeinu, who was soon going to pass away. It is still difficult to understand, though, why the heavens and earth were chosen. They are inanimate objects. How could they serve as witnesses?
Creation Testifies to Its Creator
Rav Moshe Feinstein offers a remarkable answer. In fact, the heavens and earth are among the greatest witnesses possible, because they themselves testify to the greatness of Hashem. The towering mountains, beautiful hills, vast skies and incredible world around us are all products of Hashem’s extraordinary creation. When we stop to admire their beauty and appreciate the incredible wisdom behind them, we are seeing testimony to the greatness of their Creator. (Kol Ram, Haazinu)
The Gifts We Stop Seeing
There are things we see every single day that are nothing short of incredible, yet because we are so used to them, we barely notice them. We wake up, open our eyes and see the beautiful world around us. We walk, talk, hear and see. We look at the sky, trees and flowers, yet rarely stop to consider just how extraordinary they really are. Sometimes the most amazing things in our lives become the things we take for granted simply because they are always there. The beginning of our parashah reminds us that their constant presence is itself a reason to appreciate them. The heavens and earth are an eternal testimony to Hashem’s precise involvement in the world around us.
The Gift of Yom Kippur
This idea applies to so many of the gifts we experience in our lives, both physical and spiritual. One of the greatest spiritual gifts Hashem gives us is something we have the opportunity to experience every year, yet perhaps because it comes so regularly, we do not always stop to appreciate just how precious it is: Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is a day when Hashem gives us the opportunity to put the past behind us, return to Him and begin again. When we stop to think about what an incredible gift that is, it becomes much easier to understand why Chazal describe Erev Yom Kippur as a day of such great simchah.
Why We Eat on Erev Yom Kippur
In fact, we find that it is a mitzvah from the Torah to eat on Erev Yom Kippur. Why is this so? It seems rather surprising. Yom Kippur itself is a day when we fast and afflict ourselves, yet just a few hours before it begins, we have a mitzvah to eat. Chazal even teach that someone who eats on Erev Yom Kippur is considered as though he fasted for two days (Yoma 81b). What is the meaning behind this?
Rabbeinu Yonah explains that Klal Yisrael are so filled with simchah over the opportunity of Yom Kippur that we celebrate with a festive meal. We cannot eat
on Yom Kippur itself, so we eat beforehand to thank Hashem for giving us this incredible opportunity. We are so happy that we have been given a day on which we can erase our sins and begin again that we celebrate before the day even starts. Our eating on Erev Yom Kippur is therefore an expression of our appreciation for the incredible gift of Yom Kippur. (Shaarei Teshuvah 4:9)
Every Step of Teshuvah Matters
We can make mistakes and fall short, yet Hashem gives us a way back. The gates of teshuvah are open, and we are invited to return to Him. We can ask forgiveness, repair what we have damaged and begin again. Hashem loves us and wants us to be close to Him, and Yom Kippur is one of the greatest expressions of that love. Every thought of teshuvah, every viduy and every small effort we make to express our desire to draw closer to Him is precious to Hashem.
A Shepherd Boy’s Prayer
One Yom Kippur, a simple shepherd boy went to shul. He was uneducated and did not even know the Aleph Bet, yet he was so moved by the fervent tefillot of those around him. There was nothing he wished for more than to pray to Hashem as well, but he did not understand any of the tefillot. Innocently, he decided to whistle a tune to Hashem, since that was what he knew how to do.
Everyone was taken aback by what they saw as a lack of respect. However, the renowned Tzaddik, the Baal Shem Tov, who was present, silenced them. “Until now I sensed that there was something blocking our tefillot,” he said. “Yet when this shepherd boy started whistling, all the barriers were broken and our tefillot ascended straight to Shamayim! His love for Hashem was so sincere and pure that it made a great stir, causing all our tefillot to ascend straight to Shamayim!”
By Rabbi Daniel Shasha, author of “Living Appreciation”
