| |
From Torat Moshe as translated and condensed by Eliyahu Munk
This shall be an eternal statute [in Hebrew, "chok"]
for you...on the tenth day of the seventh month you must afflict yourselves and
not do any work...on this you shall have all your sins atoned so that you shall
be purified before G-d...A Shabbat of Shabbats...
(Lev. 16:29-31)
The Torah wishes to teach that G-d doesn't want man
merely to afflict himself (i.e. fast, etc.) but rather wants complete
repentance. Self-castigation is of no intrinsic value, cannot take the place of
repentance, and is only a means to an end, the end being character
rehabilitation.
G-d, having described a variety of animal sacrifices,
points out that man himself must also afflict himself in some way. G-d
does not want man to think, however, that His interest is served by man
afflicting himself, such as denying himself food and drink. He wishes that man
would restrain himself "as an eternal statute", i.e. on an ongoing
basis, all year round, lifelong. In that event, special rituals leading to
repentance would not ever be needed!  | | " In order to achieve this purification, the average person requires the afflictions..." | | |
If such were man's lifestyle, then these rituals would
become a "chok", a term for incomprehensible statutes (i.e.
irrational), since they would be unnecessary in practice, man not having any
need to induce repentance by means of self affliction. Man would then be assured
of complete atonement for any errors he had committed, without the need for such
legislation. The occurrence of the very day of Yom Kippur would suffice for him
to purify himself of his own accord in public, but also in his heart - "before
G-d", i.e. something visible only to G-d Himself. In such a scenario,
Yom Kippur will become merely a "Shabbat of Shabbats", a heightened Shabbat
experience, due to the forgiveness this particular Shabbat brings in its wake.
On the other hand, "afflicting yourselves", will become merely a formality, an
ongoing statute, devoid of significance for you.
There is a distinction between atonement and
purification. The former occurs by the grace of G-d, the latter by dint of
one's own efforts. Although Yom Kippur brings with it atonement (i.e.
forgiveness), its ultimate objective is that you "purify yourselves before G-d",
inside and out - by your own efforts.
In order to achieve this purification, the average
person requires the afflictions, a part of the Torah legislation. It is true
that by its very nature, Yom Kippur is a Shabbat of Shabbats, a heightened
Shabbat experience, a day of rest and rejoicing for the forgiveness attained.
Nonetheless, the legislation to submit to afflictions is an ongoing one, "an
eternal statute". Although G-d could have insisted on a variety of acts of
affliction, He requires this only "once a year" (Lev. 16:34).
|
