F2: Rosh HaShanah & Yom Kippur

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What is Yom Kippur?

Yom Kippur only makes sense after Rosh Hashanah. Once we have realised how important life is, then we are ready to change and to grow. That's what Yom Kippur is about. Yom Kippur literally means the Day of Atonement. Atonement means to make amends, to fix. It is the day we have been given to fix our lives.

Now you could say that everyday we should be trying to fix things, and you'd be right. But Yom Kippur is special. We are normally so busy living that we have no time to step back and look at ourselves. Yom Kippur is a "life pause button." All the laws of this day point to this: we don't eat, we wear plain white and we don't work. These laws are not meant to restrict us, they are meant to encourage us to take time out, to think about what we are doing.

The special prayers are all about what we have done wrong, all the mistakes we've made. They question our actions: how do we treat our parents? are we rude? how Jewish are we? do we give charity? do we hide our mistakes? We don't have to get through all the prayers but we have to examine ourselves. The Sages who composed these prayers were very honest. They were willing to question every aspect of their lives and to put them under a critical microscope. The challenge is: can we do the same?

Teshuvah 1 2 3 - How to change

This is very hard and can be unpleasant. Truth hurts, but change is possible. There are three recognised stages: admission, regret and the decision never to repeat.

First we must admit our mistakes, our wrong doings, our sins. We must try to admit to ourselves as much as possible, with honesty and clarity. Next is regret. This comes from realising the consequences of our mistakes: people are upset, relationships are hurt, time is wasted, and opportunities are missed. Only if we face the results of our wrongful actions and feel remorse for them can we hope to change. Finally comes the decision for the future: We do not want to be like this and we do not have to be like this. We can choose how we want to live - and we will! The decision to change is incredibly difficult, it is an act of pure will. Only you will know if you have been successful.

This process is called Teshuvah, which means "returning." We are trying to return to who we really are, who we wanted to be before we got trapped in our mistakes. Yom Kippur becomes a day of forgiveness if we really want it enough. God can only forgive us if we care enough to be forgiven.

When was the first Yom Kippur?

Remember the story of how Moses came down Mt. Sinai having spent 40 days learning God's laws? He saw the Jewish people dancing around a Golden calf and in disgust he smashed the Ten Commandments. The people pleaded with Moses for forgiveness but God told him that the people would be destroyed. Moses defended the people and God finally agreed to grant forgiveness. (How he did this is a intriguing story for another time) Moses was then given a 2nd set of stone tablets. When the people saw him, they were overjoyed for they knew that they had finally been forgiven. That day was the first Yom Kippur.

These events reveal Yom Kippur to be the culmination of a process. From sin, regret and rejection our ancestors were granted forgiveness, hope and acceptance. On that day God renewed His commitment to His people as He does every Yom Kippur. And we, for our part, must endeavour to renew our commitment to God and the life He has given us.

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