Question of the Week: How Do You Maximize Your Yom Kippur?
Posted on | October 6, 2008 | By Administrator | 4 Comments
Yom Kippur is the most awesome and powerful day of the year. We’ve identified four approaches to maximizing the potential of the day.
1) Judgment Sealed
Our judgment is sealed on Yom Kippur and the circumstances of the upcoming year will be determined.
2) Day of Kapora
The blemishes that result from our transgressing negative commandments (which are not punishable by koreis or worse), can be removed only on Yom Kippur.
3) Getting Close to Hashem
The spiritual nature of the day, the fact that we refrain from most physical activities (eating, drinking, washing,…), and being immersed in prayer brings the greatest opportunity to getting close to Hashem.
4) Attachment to the Tzibbur
The common pursuit of a full day of spiritual growth, the plural language of the confession and prayers and the communal singing/davening enables us to deepen our connection to our Tzibbur and to the entire Klal Yisrael.
All of the above can motivate us to truly commit to change and intensify our Teshuva and Tefillah.
Which of the above do you find motivating?
Are there other focal points that help you maximize the day?
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4 Responses to “Question of the Week: How Do You Maximize Your Yom Kippur?”
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October 6th, 2008 @ 2:15 pm
How about a day of Taharah? The key verse in Vayikra focuses on both kaparah and taharah-forgiveness and cleansing oneself.
October 6th, 2008 @ 2:22 pm
FWIW, I think that approaches 2-4 are far more positive and uplifting than 1.If one mistakenly assumed that one’s fate was sealed and that there was no way of even possibly undoing the same, the age old conflict of Hahgacha Pratis vs Bchirah Chofshis as discussed in Hilcos Teshuvah would IMO rear its head in a possibly negative manner. The simple facts IMO are that if you look at the Nusach HaTefilah on YK, the individual really pleads guilty and the community asks for forgiveness. One can argue that the notion of sealing one’s fate as phrased above would unecessarily detract from the other three very vital and important themes.
October 6th, 2008 @ 5:41 pm
One other theme that almost begs to be listed is the Kabalas TSBP which occurrred on YK. Kol Nidrei, the Nusach HaAvodah, and many other aspects of YK indicate this and celebrate the fact that a Jew lives by TSBP and is granted the fullest sense of Teshuvah only by the means of the TSBP.
October 6th, 2008 @ 11:57 pm
YK is the day when our essence shines. The rest of the year we fulfill our avodah through intermediaries (eating, working, marital relations, etc.) and we are expected to uplift these things. On YK the essence does its own thing, so to speak and we are nourished by kedusha (thats why we fast.)On this day all the kedusha in the world that we uplifted with our mitzvos gets revealed to a degree and gives a taste of ymos hamoshiach, may they come upon us speedily and in our days.