A Meal Fit For A King
It’s fascinating: on Yom Kippur itself, we fast and afflict ourselves, yet just hours before, there is a mitzvah (commandment) to eat a festive meal! Even more incredible, the Sages (Gemara Yoma 88a) teach that when we eat on Erev Yom Kippur (the day before Yom Kippur), it is considered as though we fasted for two days in a row!
What is the meaning behind this?
A Day Of Great Joy
Rabbeinu Yonah explains that the Jewish People are so full of simchah (joy) that we have been given the golden opportunity of Yom Kippur – a day when we can completely erase all of our aveirot (sins), that we actually celebrate with a festive meal. Since we cannot eat on Yom Kippur itself, we rejoice the day before. Our rejoicing is so beloved by Hashem (God) that it counts as if we fasted two days straight!
We should be filled with deep gratitude for this priceless gift of Yom Kippur. In just one day, we can wipe our slate clean and start fresh. The gates of teshuvah (repentance) are wide open, and Hashem is eagerly waiting for us to enter and come close to Him. He loves us, constantly showers us with berachot (blessings) – the ability to breathe, to see, to walk, and gives us this incredible opportunity to be forgiven.
This is why we eat a festive meal before Yom Kippur: we are overflowing with thanks and joy for this extraordinary chance to reset our spiritual lives. In fact, our Sages teach that Yom Kippur is one of the happiest days of the entire year because of this very opportunity.
Rav Yerucham Levovitz writes that it was the custom of the great tzaddikim (righteous ones) to dance on Motza’ei Yom Kippur (the night after Yom Kippur) out of sheer happiness that their sins had been forgiven. This joy continues into the festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles), known as zeman simchateinu (the season of our joy). For an entire week we celebrate by eating delicious meals, drinking wine, singing, and dancing, all this is an expression of our happiness at being cleansed and renewed.
Staying Inspired – Even When It’s Hard
Spending the entire day in the synagogue on Yom Kippur can be challenging. The prayers are long, sometimes hard to relate to, and not always easy to understand. Yet even if we cannot grasp every word, Hashem treasures our sincere desire to come close to Him.
There’s a beautiful story that illustrates this.
One Yom Kippur, a simple shepherd boy came to synagogue. He didn’t even know the Hebrew alphabet (alef beit), but he was deeply moved by the heartfelt prayers around him. Longing to connect with Hashem, he did the only thing he knew, he whistled a tune.
At first, the congregation was shocked at what they thought was disrespect. But the great tzaddik, the Ba’al Shem Tov, silenced them.
“Until now,” he said, “I sensed that our prayers were being blocked from ascending to the heavens. But when this boy began to whistle with such pure love for Hashem, all the barriers were broken and our prayers soared straight to Shamayim (Heaven)!”
What If The Inspiration Fades?
Another challenge is the fear that once Yom Kippur ends, our inspiration will fade. Does that mean we accomplished nothing?
Rav Chatzkel Levenstein, the great mashgiach (spiritual guide) of the Mir Yeshivah, addressed this question beautifully.
During World War II, when the Mir Yeshivah was in Shanghai, Yom Kippur was brutally difficult. The heat was stifling, and the students were weak from fasting. Yet Rav Chatzkel stood in a corner, completely absorbed in prayer.
Inspired, the students resolved to eat quickly after the fast and return to the Beit Midrash (study hall) to learn Torah, knowing this would bring their teacher joy. When they returned, Rav Chatzkel was still praying. Only after he finished praying did he notice his studenys learning with great diligence.
Smiling, he said: “My precious children, you might be thinking that soon the inspiration of Yom Kippur will pass, and then what did we really accomplish?
Imagine a man who spent years building a magnificent palace. When it was finally completed, he placed a beautiful ornament on the very top, but a gust of wind blew it off, and it shattered. He cried, ‘Oh no, my palace!’ But those nearby reassured him: ‘Your palace is still standing! only the ornament is gone.’
My dear children, this Yom Kippur we built a palace together. The inspiration may fade, but that’s just the ornament. The palace we built is eternal and will always remain.”
By Rabbi Daniel Shasha, author of “Living Appreciation”
