Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Yom Kippur Happiness is . . . Vidui! Volume 23, No. 47 10 Tishrei 5770 September 28, 2009 Sponsored by Bert Anker and Judy Gabel on the yahrzeit of their father, Moe Anker a"h Rochelle Dimont and family on the yahrzeit of husband and father, Rabbi Albert Dimont a"h Today's Learning: Negaim 8:10-9:1 O.C. 336:10-12 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Bava Batra 38 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): None Our Sages teach that the happiest days on the Jewish calendar are the Fifteenth of the month of Av and Yom Kippur. In what sense is Yom Kippur a happy day? To the contrary, Yom Kippur would seem to be a somber day, even a day of dread! Over the course of Yom Kippur, the confession that begins with the word "Ashamnu" is recited ten times. In many congregations, the worshipers recited this confession in unison to an almost joyous tune. Why is such a tune appropriate? R' Reuven Sasson shlita explains (based on the teachings of R' Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook z"l): Ashamnu is at once a confession, i.e., an acceptance of responsibility, and also a rebuke against oneself that comes from deep within one's soul. The soul, which by its very nature is connected to G- d, always objects to sin. Ashamnu is a declaration, "I do not want this sin." Thus, Ashamnu is uplifting, even joyous. Its purpose is not so that one will wallow in his sins, but, to the contrary, to liberate oneself from them. So long as one has not confessed, the halachic principle of "shtikah k'hoda'ah" / "Silence is acquiescence" is operative, i.e., one is considered to be accepting of his sins. Certainly, confession has its painful aspect, i.e., one's acceptance of responsibility for his own shortcomings and errors. But it also is joyous, for it expresses one's inner purity and liberates one from the heavy burden of sin. (Orot Ha'teshuvah Im Be'ur p. 367) ******** "For on this day yechaper / he [the kohen gadol] shall provide atonement for you l'taher / to cleanse you." (Vayikra 16:30) This verse indicates that two processes take place on Yom Kippur - kaparah / atonement and taharah / cleansing. What does each of these mean? R' Joseph B. Soloveitchik z"l explained in a lecture that every sin has two consequences - it makes one who sinned liable to receive a punishment and it sullies his soul. Accordingly, two processes are needed to undo the damage: kaparah, to erase the liability, and taharah, to cleanse the soul. R' Soloveitchik explained further: Another name for kaparah is "mechilah" / "forgiveness." Forgiveness is a concept found in civil law. For example, a creditor can forgive a loan and an injured party can forgive reimbursement for his injuries. Likewise, teshuvah can effect "forgiveness" of the punishment that a person has coming to him because of his sin. However, this concept has no relevance when we speak of correcting the harm that a person does to his soul by sinning. In halachah, a person who committed certain sins is no longer qualified to testify in court. Why? Because he has lost his status as a Jew in good standing. This not a punishment for the sin; rather, it is a result of the harm that he did to his soul by sinning. Even after Yom Kippur has passed and the person has received kaparah - according to one sage in the Talmud, kaparah is automatic on Yom Kippur - he still has not returned to good standing if he has not repented, because taharah / cleansing of the soul is impossible without teshuvah. R' Soloveitchik continued: Kaparah and taharah are achieved by different means. For kaparah, simple regret for the deed that was done is adequate. Taharah, on the other requires real change. To purify oneself from the harmful spiritual effects of sin, one must distance him from the causes of his sin, be it his environment, his lifestyle, his philosophy, etc. (Al Ha'teshuvah) ******** "Ashamnu, bagadnu / We have become guilty, we have betrayed . . ." (From the vidui / confession) Why do we recite the vidui using plural forms? R' Aharon David Goldberg shlita (Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland) suggests the following explanation: R' Moshe Cordovero z"l (Remak; Tzefat, Eretz Yisrael; 1522-1570; one of the most influential kabbalists in history) writes in Tomer Devorah (ch.1) that the souls of all Jews are bound together in such a way that the spiritual power of any gathering is greater than the sum of the powers of each individual. This is why the Midrash Sifra teaches that there is greater meaning to a mitzvah done by many than to a mitzvah done by one. This fact is also the explanation behind the well-known expression, "Kol Yisrael areivim zeh la'zeh," commonly translated, "All Jews are responsible for one another." [In halachah, this is the reason that one person can recite kiddush or another berachah for another person.] Remak explains that this statement actually means that a part of every Jew is within every other Jew. Our souls are bound to the souls of every other Jew such that we are all one. It follows, writes Remak, that one who sins damages not only his own soul, but also the part of his soul that belongs to each other Jew. In light of the above, R' Goldberg writes: The Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 16a) teaches that G-d judges every person on Rosh Hashanah, and it cites the verse (Tehilim 33:15), "He fashions their hearts together, He comprehends all their deeds." By citing this verse, the Mishnah is teaching that when G-d judges man on Rosh Hashanah, He looks at "their hearts together" and "comprehends all their deeds." When Hashem looks at how we have grown or fallen during the past year, He takes into account the influence of each other Jew's soul on the souls of each of us. This, too, may explain why we recite the vidui in plural. What practical lesson can we draw from the above? Remak writes that the knowledge that our souls are all connected should cause us to always seek what is best for others. Likewise, every other person's honor should be as dear to us as our own honor is because, in Remak's words, "One person is, literally, the same person as the other person." If we feel this way, we will always judge others favorably and never speak ill of another person. In addition, writes R' Goldberg, this understanding highlights the power of every good deed we do, i.e., that a good deed has the potential to positively impact the soul of every Jew. (Tomer Devorah with the commentary V'halachta B'derachav) ******** Our Sages teach that one cannot achieve atonement unless he appeases those against whom he has sinned. Some say that one cannot achieve atonement even for his sins against G-d unless he has properly atoned for his sins against man, and received forgiveness. (Kaf Hachaim 606:3) Why? Because atoning only for some sins is like immersing only part of one's body in a mikveh. Obviously, one does not attain purity by doing so. (Mussar Hamishnah) ******** R' Avraham Halevi Horowitz z"l (16th century; father of the Shelah Hakadosh) observes: The obligation to ask forgiveness from those we have offended does not mean doing what is commonly done, i.e., that shortly before Kol Nidrei, one approaches his friends and asks their forgiveness. Inevitably, the friend responds, "You did not do anything for which I have to forgive you." Then, these two friends forgive each other, something that was not necessary at all, since they were always dear to each other and would never wish each other harm. In contrast, R' Horowitz continues, enemies tend not to ask forgiveness from each other. Rather, each one says, "If he were interested in peace, he would come to me." A wise man, however, would recognize that the true sign of strength is humility, and he would take the initiative to appease his enemy, even if his enemy is in the wrong. (Emek Berachah) R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach z"l (1910-1995; one of the most important halachic authorities of the 20th century) writes: Requesting general forgiveness for all sins that one has committed against another is effective only for minor offenses. [If one committed a more serious offense, he must specify it when he requests forgiveness.] (Quoted in Halichot Shlomo: Moadim p.44) If one who has sinned against you does not come to you to seek forgiveness, you should make yourself available to him so that he might ask forgiveness. (Mateh Ephraim) ******** Because Yom Kippur does not atone until one appeases his neighbor, one should be certain to recite the following prayer (part of Tefilah Zakkah) which is printed in many machzorim: "I extend complete forgiveness to everyone who has sinned against me, whether physically or monetarily, or who has gossiped about me or even slandered me; so, too, anyone who has injured me, whether physically or financially, and for any human sins between man and his neighbor -- except for money that I wish to claim and that I can recover in accordance with halachah, and except for someone who sins against me and says, `I will sin against him and he will forgive me' -- except for these, I grant complete forgiveness, and may no person be punished on my account. "And just as I forgive everyone, so may You grant me favor in every person's eyes so that he will grant me complete forgiveness."